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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28248180">Big Trouble In Little Tokyo</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathis/pseuds/Lathis'>Lathis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Titans [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Ranma 1/2, Teen Titans (Animated Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, F/M, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:34:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>135,127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28248180</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathis/pseuds/Lathis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dark Titans is the sequel to The Titans and the Lost Boy.</p><p>This series of stories follows the ongoing adventures of Heroes and Martial Artists alike, as two very different worlds collide.</p><p>Ranma takes center stage as an ancient evil rears its head in the modern age.  With all of his friends gone, will the Anything Goes Heir be able to handle this threat alone?  Luckily, help can be found in the most unlikely of places.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Saotome Ranma/Tendou Akane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dark Titans [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The young man knelt reverently at the heart of the ancient temple. Laid artfully at the eight cardinal points around him were eight candles, each far more unique than their simple colorations would lead one to believe. Painstakingly inscribed on the floor around and between each of the eight candles, was the mystical diagram that surrounded him. From each of the candles, an equally elaborate line was inscribed to the center of the circle, forming a ring around him, and resulting in a massive, spoked wheel.</p><p>He allowed a moment of pride to poison his pure thoughts. To any outsider it would have looked embarrassingly simple, a mere wheel diagram, hardly suitable for the ritual he hoped to perform. However, to a true master of the arts, the subtle intricacies, the layers enfolded within layers that composed every arc and line of the deceptively childish diagram, were a testament to the mastery he had attained throughout his short life. Only upon close inspection would the finite details that disguised themselves within the seemingly simple design reveal themselves.</p><p>Only the closest of inspections, by the most knowledgeable of sages, would reveal the ancient symbols that he had inscribed into the hard wood of the temples floor. And even then, only a select few would recognize the kanji he used, the archaic runes, the strange whirls of ink that stabbed at the eye.</p><p>It had taken him years to prepare for this moment. There had been so many dead ends, Buddhist sutras, Shinto rituals; he had even learned the long-forgotten art of Martial arts Calligraphy. What a waste <em>that</em> had been. What use was the Mark of the Gods to a man with his aims?</p><p>Reverently, with the care that one usually reserved for a newborn infant, he produced the scroll and unrolled it before placing it at the heart of the eldritch diagram. He dared not run his hand down the image that covered the surface of the parchment, though he dearly wished to. The picture was years old, as old as his obsession, to the second, and he would not risk damaging it now.</p><p>His eyes welled up with emotion as he gazed on his greatest masterpiece, on the work that had consumed his life for the past ten years. He had never met the young woman whose face was immortalized upon the parchment, except for in his dreams. However, the instant he had finished painting her, she had stolen his heart as if it had been hers before he was been born.</p><p>Her flowing ebony hair nearly shone, even in the darkened interior of the temple. Her porcelain skin cried for his touch; her dark, mysterious eyes bored into his very soul. Never had he drawn such an exquisite piece before this one, nor could he bring himself to make another attempt. The detail he had devoted to the painting was mind-boggling, every hair on her head, every curve of her smile, every fold in her kimono. He had never shown the picture to another living soul, but he was certain that if he had they would have named him a genius of the brush that very same instant.</p><p>It had always been his dream to become known as a great artist, a childhood fantasy at that. Even, at one time, he had hoped to tell stories with his art, become a great manga artist, known throughout all of Japan.</p><p>Oh, how foolish he had been, to harbor such childish dreams. No, as soon as he had seen her face, finally complete after months of intense labor, he knew what had to be done.</p><p>She needed to live.</p><p>He knew then that his life would be forever an empty shell without her by his side. And so, that very day, he had dedicated his life to giving that life to her. It had been a long and arduous task. Shinto and Buddhism had both failed him, they were both born of harmonizing with nature and respecting the natural world, the very thought of creating life was an impossibility which rendered them useless to him. As an artist, he had heard of Martial Arts Calligraphy in his youth; fantastical stories of the impossible feats those masters could accomplish. Still, even though it hadn't helped him achieve his goal at all, it had helped him to greatly increase his already tremendous artistic ability.</p><p>It hadn't been until he had decided to delve deeper, into much darker realms of knowledge, that he had finally found what he had sought so fervently. Black magic had been the key, the secrets he needed were the kind that could only be wrested from the frightful claws of the foulest of creatures. However, through barter and trade - in goods so precious and so profane that he dare not repeat them, even in his thoughts - he had acquired what he’d needed.</p><p>Most would think him mad, dealing with black magic. But what was magic, black, or otherwise, but simple power, a means to an end? His goal was noble and pure, to grant life to the most perfect woman in all of creation. Surely such a good end could justify a dark means. Once his love was given life, he would never look upon those dark arts again. What need would he have to do so? Once <em>she</em> was with him, he wouldn't have another need in the world.</p><p>He took a long, soothing breath to calm himself...</p><p>Had it suddenly gotten cooler?</p><p>He shook his head to clear it of such petty concerns. It was time to begin. Carefully, he flattened out the picture in the center of the circle, mindful to only touch the corners of the paper long enough to weigh down each with a stone of a different hue. On the corner to the north was a stone of red. On the corner to the east, a stone of blue. On the corner to the west, a stone of yellow. And finally, on the corner to the south, a stone of onyx. Each stone shared the same hue as two of the eight candles that surrounded him.</p><p>Next, he picked up the ancient scroll to his side and unrolled it with almost as much care as the first. This scroll, however, he did not handle gently out of fear of damaging it, but out of fear of what it would do if he mishandled it in any way. The magic he employed now... it was not for the faint of heart. Were it not for the fact that he had love, <em>true love</em>, in his heart, he would have fled screaming from the very sight of the thing.</p><p>He took another long, soothing breath...</p><p>Then he began to read... Or at least he <em>thought</em> it was him that read. As soon as he gazed upon the writings, words began to flow from his lips. However, the voice was not his, the words he did not recognize, the sounds that skittered over his tongue, the painful syllables that twisted his lips, hardly sounded human at all.</p><p>In that instant, a tiny sliver of fear entered his heart, the faintest shred of doubt at his actions... Unfortunately, he knew that even if he had wanted to, that there was no way he could stop now.</p><p>Suddenly, the candles blazed to life around him; he wanted to jump in fright, to gasp in shock, but his body seemed to be acting of its own accord. An acrid smell filled the air as the candles burned, their multicolored smoke forming a haze which he felt very certain should have dulled his senses instantly. However, his voice never faltered, his eyes never closed as he continued to read the scroll. Oh, how he wished he could close his eyes, the sight of the burning candles disturbed him on a level so primitive that he had no conscious knowledge of just what it was that frightened him so.</p><p>To be certain, the burning red flame of the red candles was slightly odd, though not quite so much as the yellow flame of the yellow candles. The blue flame of the blue candles was more disturbing, if only for the fact that he <em>knew</em> that flames of blue were not unnatural at all, except for the shade of blue which <em>those</em>candles burned.</p><p>No, the thing sight truly offended his eyes, the sight which caused his mind to writhe, were the merrily dancing <em>black</em> flames of the black candles. It was as if each candle had captured a tiny fragment of the night, only those slivers of darkness were baleful at their captivity.</p><p>On and on the words flowed, even as he sat transfixed. He stared with morbid fascination as the candles slowly melted down to the floor. The sight of the melting wax running down the candle and flowing, <em>purposefully</em> to the center of the circle... it hardly seemed strange at all any longer.</p><p>It took several lingering minutes, at the torturous crawl of the melted wax, for it to finally reach the edges of his beloved work. The four corners were touched first, then the top of the sheet and the bottom. However, it was not until all eight lines of wax finally traversed the distance between candle and painting, that <strong>it </strong>happened...</p><p>A noxious cloud of bluish gray smoke burst up from the edges of the painting, obscuring his sight as it formed a column that escaped towards the ceiling. Though that was not the worst of it...</p><p>Suddenly he felt the control of his body return to him, as if whatever dark spirits had possessed him had finished their vile task. And just in time, he was forced to cover his eyes as a massive burst of azure light nearly blinded him. The flash dispersed the smoke with a crack of thunder, only to fade away to nothing.</p><p>It was several moments later, that he finally uncovered his eyes to stare blankly, spots of light still dancing merrily at the back of his skull. He heavily blinked several times, to banish the stinging lights, until he could at last look upon the picture he had drawn once more.</p><p>He heart dropped into his stomach at what he saw.</p><p><em>Nothing</em>! Nothing had happened... The picture was completely unchanged, un-smudged by the smoke, undamaged by the light. It was as if everything he had just done, had not been done at all. His shoulders slumped, as the heavy burden of failure settled on them. This had been his greatest effort; it was all that he had to give. It had taken him weeks to inscribe the mystical symbols, months to acquire the unusual ingredients that had composed the candles.</p><p>He... he could not do it again...</p><p>He knelt forward, bowing to his beloved, begging for forgiveness. He bowed low, dropping to his hands, and lowering his head to rest on the bottom of the painting.</p><p>It wasn't until then, that he allowed the tears to flow.</p><p>Not once, not <em>once</em> in ten years, had he <em>ever</em> doubted that he would eventually succeed. It had always been a matter of time, time, and nothing else. He had always known, deep within his heart, that his love was pure enough, true enough, that nothing could possibly stop him from completing his task.</p><p>Until now... He did not cry for himself; he wasn't worth even his own tears. No, he had failed her, <em>he</em> had <em>failed her</em>! The tears came faster now, his life was now without meaning, his life was now worthle-</p><p>His musings were interrupted by the feeling of a delicate, perfect hand, running through his hair.</p><p>He sat up so fast that he feared his spine would buckle. There, sitting demurely before him... was <em>her</em>! Even as a man that had devoted himself to the arts, words failed him.  If his heart had swelled when he looked upon her portrait, now it threatened to burst apart within his chest.</p><p>To say she was breathtaking would be to say ocean was but a pool of water. To say that she was beautiful would be insulting, as surely that word had never been used to describe anything so perfect as she was.</p><p>And then she smiled...</p><p>That was it, his heart could stand no more. Again, the tears flowed, this time in a flood that not even the gods themselves could stop. Even the word perfection failed to describe her smile, philosophers and poets could spend lifetimes simply trying to devise a proper way to describe the simple beauty of that smile.</p><p>Slowly, she rose to her feet before him. He didn't possess the power to do the same. His legs were like lead, like jelly, his legs didn't even exist in the face of her beauty. Then, she raised her hand, reaching out to him...</p><p>Finally! It had finally come to pass! His love was alive, his love had finally come to him, and she was everything that he had hoped, and an infinite amount more. Slowly, he raised his hand as well, reaching out towards her outstretched hand. It awaited him, hanging in the air, the most inviting hand that had ever existed.</p><p>He took that last infinitely short and eternal moment to examine her beauty as he moved his hand to grasp hers. Her smile, it was so beautiful, so lovely, so perfect... so cold...</p><p>Wait... Suddenly, in that instant, small details began to make themselves known to his trained eye. Where just a fraction of a second ago he saw perfection and beauty, strange and disturbing details made themselves known. The smile that had stolen his heart... was more of a sneer now that he looked at it, a cruel twist of the lip that chilled the blood. And the gentle curves hidden by her kimono... while seemingly perfect at first glance... seemed wrong now, as if not everything was where it was supposed to be.</p><p>And her eyes... They possessed no warmth now, nor, he was beginning to suspect, had they ever. In fact, unless he was going mad, they appeared slitted, like the eyes of a ravenous snake staring at her next meal. Suddenly, the hand she held out to him did not look inviting, now it looked like a viper ready to lash out.</p><p>This was <em>not what he had <strong>drawn</strong></em>! This, this abomination was <em>not</em> his love, it was not the simple and beautiful girl he had painted ten years ago!</p><p>Too late, he tried to draw his hand back; to flee for his very life from the creature that loomed over him. Like a scorpion’s sting, her hand flashed out, grasping his with inhuman strength. For just a moment, they paused there, hand in hand, as he had always imagined.</p><p>But the monster that wore his love's face was not done with him yet. Her cruel sneer widened, impossibly wide, the corners of her mouth cracked painfully, and black ink ran from her ruined lips in tiny onyx streams.</p><p>He tried to scream but his lungs were frozen in fear. The onyx streams continued to flow, deepening, and widening. Then they were joined, as ink began to flow from her eyes like tears. Then from her nose, her ears... then from her very pores. He could only stare in horror as the woman that had filled his heart for ten years melted away into a mockery of hatred and ink.</p><p>And even that was not the worst of it. The thing smiled wider yet, as its hand flowed to encompass his completely. Finally, he screamed, this time in pain as every nerve in his hand flared with agony. Then the ink creature began to flow up his arm, up to his shoulder, the burning torment following its progress to the millimeter.</p><p>The thing stared into his eyes, its own orbs gone, replaced by swirling pools of black liquid that still seemed to burn with a hatred that he did not think belonged in this world.</p><p>"<em>In your <strong>vanity</strong>, you desired to bring <strong>life</strong> to your <strong>art</strong></em>," it hissed in a voice that caused his ears to ache. The ink continued to spread, the pain spreading with it. However, the tips of his fingers ceased to burn, ceased to feel at all! He stared in horror at the hideous shade of black that now stained his skin.</p><p>"<em>And so, you <strong>shall</strong>. Ink shall flow through your <strong>veins</strong> and your <strong>flesh</strong> shall <strong>wither</strong> to paper, but in <strong>exchange</strong>, you shall become a creature of <strong>pure</strong> creation</em>," the thing’s voice rang with mocking sarcasm.</p><p>And then the creature vanished, dissolving completely to engulf him. The next moments passed in an eternity of excruciating numbness.  He couldn't be sure if months had passed, or simply a fraction of a second. His entire world consisted of only horror and confusion.</p><p>And then it was done...</p><p>He looked down at his new hands... and <em>smiled</em>. His fingers had grown into long, wicked talons.  The skin wrapped around his arms was changed, literally newly pressed parchment. His paper-like skin was soaked through, a midnight black as ink ran over the surface as if it were alive as well. Almost on instinct, he slammed his newly crafted hand to the floor before him.</p><p>Instantly, a slash of red formed under his papery skin, and he drew a line along the floor. He smiled in delight as the ink started to bubble, even as he pulled his hand away. Not even caring what he was doing, a blue slash joined the red, then yellow, then black. He rose to his full height, now suddenly brushing the insignificant temple’s ceiling.</p><p>Before him, the first of his children rose from the splotches of color on the floor. Even as they grew, he shaped them, chose the first forms that sprang to his mind, characters from the very manga that he had hoped to draw himself in his childhood. Four of the characters that had first ignited his own passion to create new worlds and tell his own stories.</p><p>As his children took shape, another word bubbled up from the infinite and dark pool that was now his mind. It was a simple word, a childish word even, but it carried more weight with it than anything he had ever imagined before. His grotesquely dripping lips twisted into a cruel smile, as he realized what his new name would be. With the gleeful abandon of a child that had discovered his first book of matches, he whispered his new name to his children.</p><p>"...Brushogun..."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The carefully creased sheets of paper fluttered in his hand, playthings for the gentle breeze. He stared at the three pieces of paper, which had come into his possession only an hour before and marveled at the exquisite penmanship that had covered their surfaces with midnight black ink.</p><p>‘<em>Yes</em>,’ Ranma thought to himself as he lounged on the back porch, making new friends was nice indeed. That said – um, thought - he eagerly read over the letter that Raven had sent him for the third time. He smiled happily at the very first string of words that she had written.</p><p>“Dear Ranma, I hope this letter finds you in good health and good spirits," he read the words quietly to himself, savoring every single one. He nearly wiped a tear from his eye; that had been the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to him... that hadn't been instantly followed up by: a glomp, mallet, sneak attack, death threat, being groped by an ancient pervert, being force fed food or... or... Hmm the fact that the list was that long already without him having to struggle was bad enough, no need to keep rolling down <em>that</em> lane of thought.</p><p>‘<em>Yes</em>,’ the master martial artist thought to himself, having a girl for a friend, one who <em>wasn't</em><strong>: </strong>engaged to him, married to him, infatuated with him, or even attracted to him at all, was a <em>genuinely</em> nice change of pace. Of course, being any kind of man, the last one bothered him a bit. Fortunately, an exceedingly small part of him, the part that he liked to call 'Ranma of the Common Sense', reared its handsome head, and explained that he didn't <em>need</em> any more problems.</p><p>Apparently, he <em>had</em> learned his lesson after the whole reversal jewel incident.</p><p>Raven had also indicated that she was interested in entering a 'mail correspondence exchange' with him. He wasn't one hundred percent on that, but he was fairly sure she meant she wanted to be pen pals. Ranma smiled again at that thought, as he ran a hand through the shaggy mop of hair on his head. It was a funny thought, since she could literally talk to him whenever she wanted with her communicator, but then, the written aspect did seem to be very cool.</p><p>It <em>would</em> be nice to be able to speak to a girl, sort of anyway, without people listening in or watching over his shoulder. Besides, Raven was a smart girl, having her ear in a sympathetic manner might be able to help him out with his own problems. And the fact that she had gone to the trouble to hand write the letter in the first place, it made him think that she had put a lot of thought into it.</p><p>He looked up from the letter, to the massive delivery that had arrived with said letter and shook his head in disbelief. The pig-tailed youth still couldn't believe the generosity of the Titans. Raven explained, in her letter, that her and the rest of the Titans had pooled together and gotten him and Akane a few thank you gifts.</p><p>The rattle and bang of various pots and pans from the kitchen brought Starfire's thoughtful... <em>gift</em>?... to mind. The alien girl had been <em>kind</em> enough to send Akane a cookbook, full of strange alien recipes, as well as the ingredients to go with it. He shook his head sadly; it was obvious that Starfire was a write-off in his books. The flame haired girl was obviously too far into Ryouga's camp to be his friend now... in fact, if her gift was any indication, he was sure she was out to kill him.</p><p>Using such despicable tactics though... he'd have to talk to Ryouga about curbing his would-be sister's psychotic tendencies.</p><p>Raven, on the other hand, had been nice enough to send him copies of the scrolls which Cologne had given her way back when she had visited the village. It was an appropriate and well-thought-out gift. It made him wonder how a girl whom he'd only known for a week or two had gotten to know him so well. He wasn't too keen on the meditation side of the martial arts, but that ki sight thing that she'd been doing, now <em>that</em> seemed like a cool trick to pick up. He'd have to remember to give her an extra thanks when he wrote back to her.</p><p>Sitting on the porch, to his side, was a small box, a little bigger than a shoebox. Apparently, it was a combined gift from Ryouga, Beast Boy and Cyborg. As such, he figured it was either a cool gadget, something fuzzy, or something that would hurt him... Hmm, on second thought, maybe he would open <em>that</em> particular box later... when he had witnesses present.</p><p>Again, his eyes traveled to the object that now rested serenely in the Tendo's back yard. <em>It</em> was the thing that he still couldn't wrap his mind around. It was a gift from Robin; apparently the younger guy had overheard him talking about getting into the crime fighting business himself. Raven's letter informed him that Robin was very eager to help him on his way to becoming a decent vigilante. Still...</p><p>Who gives a virtual stranger a brand-new <em>motorcycle</em>?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"You sent him a <em>motorcycle</em>?" bellowed the irate martial artist.</p><p>Robin sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He'd have to remember to <em>thank</em> Beast Boy for letting <em>that</em> particular piece of information slip to one, Ryouga Hibiki.</p><p>"Yes, Ryouga, I did. He helped us out a great deal and I wanted to thank him. That and he was talking about getting into the vigilante business back in Tokyo, I figured that he would need <em>something</em> to help him get around a city that large," he explained as calmly as he could.</p><p>Ryouga just mumbled something under his breath, though Robin was sure he caught the words: Ranma, lucky and bastard in there somewhere.</p><p>"Man... after all I went through with you guys, you give Ranma a <em>motorcycle</em>, and all I get is this umbrella?" the boy's jealous grumbling continued into the audible range. Ryouga then punctuated his point by waving around his new, pale blue umbrella dejectedly.</p><p>It was at this point that Cyborg, previously ignoring their conversation in favor of his game with Beast Boy, suddenly spun around to face them. The larger boy draped his arm over the back of the couch and glared daggers at the bandanna clad martial artist.</p><p>"Woah, woah, hey, woah, hold up right there!<em> I</em> made that umbrella for you, Ryo! That thing represents the culmination of the next fifty years of umbrella technology, what possible problem could you have with it?" demanded the cybernetic teen.</p><p>Ryouga stared back at Cyborg, a nonplussed expression etched on his face. Then the fanged boy absently pointed the umbrella to his side and pressed a button on the handle -</p><p>Causing a thirty-foot gout of flame to burst from end of said umbrella.</p><p>Ryouga's nonplussed stare descended into the dangerous territory of arctic cold. "There is a <em>flamethrower</em> in my umbrella." he stated, rather matter-of-factly.</p><p>Robin's eyebrow rose noticeably at that. "There's a flamethrower in his umbrella?"</p><p>Cyborg shrugged, then nodded in agreement. "There's a flamethrower in your umbrella."</p><p>"<em>Why</em> is there a flamethrower in my umbrella? The very idea of a flamethrower in my umbrella runs counter to the very nature of its existence! Where on earth did you get the idea to put a <em>flamethrower</em> in my umbrella?" asked the irate Lost Boy in disbelief.</p><p>Robin turned to regard the cyborg, a rather nonplussed expression of his own forming. "Yes, Cyborg. <em>Wherever</em> did you get the idea to put a flamethrower in his umbrella?" he asked pointedly.</p><p>Cyborg squirmed under their combined gazes. "What, you don't like the flamethrower in your umbrella?" he finally squeaked out.</p><p>The masked hero nodded first. "I don't know about Ryouga, but I know that <em>I'm</em> not a fan of the trick umbrella.  Let's just say there are a few bad memories... especially about the flamethrower in the umbrella," he muttered in a low voice.</p><p>Ryouga looked back at him oddly for a moment, before nodding as well. "Look, I'm glad you made me a new umbrella; I don't know how you did it, but it's even heavier than my old one. It's just that... I don't think all of these strange options work for me; especially the flamethrower in my umbrella."</p><p>The sudden look of despair that descended on Cyborg's face was almost enough to make Robin want to perform a Shi Shi Houkodan himself. He was about to apologize to the cybernetic teen, when suddenly a wide smile broke out on Cyborg's face.</p><p>"Don't like the T-Brella, eh? I guess that means that you aren't a fan of the <em>Helicopter option </em>either?" drawled Cyborg.</p><p>"The Helicopter option?" repeated Ryouga, a note of interest suddenly appearing in his voice.</p><p>"The <em>Helicopter </em>option," Cyborg replied, smiling smugly.</p><p>"There's a <em>Helicopter</em> option?"</p><p>"What? You didn't know about the <em>Helicopter</em> option?" drawled the techno genius, trying to sound aloof.</p><p>"No, I never made it past the flamethrower option. You mean there's really a <em>Helicopter</em> option?" Ryouga asked again, still in disbelief.</p><p>"Dude! Of <em>course</em>, there's a Helicopter option! What kind of pimped out umbrella would it be without a Helicopter option?"</p><p>"Wow... maybe there's something to this Helicopter option..."</p><p>"Would both of you <em>stop saying HELICOPTER OPTION!</em>" Robin yelled. He couldn't stand it anymore; it was driving him insane! If one more person said ‘Helicopter option’, he was going to implant a birdarang straight up their a-</p><p>Cyborg and Ryouga both stared at him, a little shocked at his outburst. Then Cyborg shrugged and turned back to Ryouga.</p><p>"Dude, you have <em>so</em> gotta try out the <em>Helicopter Option</em>!"</p><p>Robin's screams were heard even by Starfire... and she was out at the mall of shopping.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma shivered fiercely, a strange sense of impending doom settling across his soul like a winter breeze.</p><p>A quick headshake later, he rose to his feet, but not before carefully depositing the thoughtfully handwritten letter under the box from Ryouga and Co. Several graceful steps then took him to the vehicle’s side, and he ran a nervous finger down its smooth surface. The machine looked like something straight out of that Akira manga, sleek, efficient... and three different shades of <em>cool</em>!</p><p>Even cooler, was the red and black design, and the large R emblazoned on the sides. Robin must have custom made it for him; man, talk about awesome. It was perfect, it was his color, it was cool... and it was <em>his</em>! He'd never even considered owning a vehicle before, it had never been necessary with his lifestyle. Of course, Robin had said, back in Jump City, that half of the battle in fighting crime was getting to the crime before it was over.</p><p>He nodded to himself as he slowly walked around the bike. Nerima was a ward of Tokyo, but even at his best, it would still take him forever to <em>run</em> to the heart of the city, where he figured all the cool crime would be happening. Heck, after having him and his... <em>friends</em> live there for a few years, Nerima had one of the lowest crime rates in the whole city, discounting random property destruction anyway.</p><p>The Ranma-Cycle - hmmm, maybe he'd just call it the R-Cycle - even came with a removable police scanner. All he had to do was find the right frequency and he could hear about any ongoing crimes and now he'd be able to get to it with his new wheels. Man, this had to be one of the greatest days of his life! He couldn't wait to go flying downtown and start knocking around whatever cool super villains that wanted to terrorize his city.</p><p>Hmm... <em>his</em> city.  It had a nice ring to it. The hero thing made a strange kind of sense to him; it <em>was</em> a martial artist's duty to protect people, after all. Besides, now that half of the people that he used to fight daily had moved to the States, he was gonna have to do <em>something</em> to keep in shape.</p><p>There was only one <em>minor </em>problem...</p><p>He had absolutely <em>no</em> idea how to <em>drive</em> the damn thing!</p><p>And <em>that</em> was the crux of his problem because he really, <em>really</em> wanted to take it out for a test drive! Of course, it couldn't be <em>that</em> hard to figure out. After all, riding a bicycle was all about balance and he had <em>that</em> in spades. Robin had been nice enough to send along an instruction manual, to let him know how the machine worked and how to maintain it.  Unfortunately there was no such manual on how to handle the thing on the road.</p><p>He eyed the powerful looking machine with a slightly distrustful gleam in his eye. The reflective red surface shone in the light of the setting sun, making the machine look even more dangerous. He knew he would figure out how to ride it without too much trouble.  Still, there was no need to rush things. It did look like an <em>awfully</em> powerful bike, after all. Maybe he'd take it for a few slow circuits around the block, just putt around until he was used to it.</p><p>Maybe he'd even take Akane with him, he was sure she'd love to cruise around with him on his new bike.</p><p>He stared at the machine again, gazing at the darkly painted engine that nearly seemed to thrum with power, even while it was off. He shook his head again.  Maybe he'd wait till he was a little more used to it before he did anything reckless like put Akane on the back of the thing. Who knew what a klutz like her could do that would result in their premature demises on the back of <em>that</em> bike?</p><p>Besides, there was no need for him to rush into the whole crime fighting thing either. It wasn't like the criminals were gonna up and leave before he decided to finally join in. Not that he really had any idea who these supposed criminals were, or what kind of stuff they planned to do, but he was pretty sure they were out there... somewhere.</p><p>Yes, no need to rush, none at all-</p><p>"Ranma! It's time to come in, I just finished making dinner!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Ranma! It's time to come in, I just finished making dinner!"</p><p>Akane placed the pot of food on the table, then looked to the porch door. Hmm, that wasn't like him, usually the sound of food brought him running. A few steps took her to the porch door, and she slid it open. She was about to call for the pigtailed boy again-</p><p>When the deafening roar of a motorcycle engine, quickly followed by a madly squealing tire, demonstrated <em>exactly</em> what her fiancé thought of her dinner invitation. The last thing she saw, as she stuck her head out the back door, was the glowing afterimage of Ranma's break lights as his bike flew out the back gate.</p><p>A low growl escaped her lips as she stared at the huge rut that now ran down the center of their back yard. That – that <em>boy</em> was just so <em>predictable</em>! So, he was off to hunt for some superhuman violence, was he? My, what a silly boy he was; she smiled vindictively to herself.</p><p>Why leave, when doing something like that would only guarantee that the very thing he went out to find...</p><p>Would be waiting for him when he got home?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Genma looked up from the tray of... <em>food</em> sitting before him. The look of absolute suffering and anguish that formed on his face at the sight festered for nearly ten seconds. Which was precisely when Akane turned back from the yard, a look of simmering fury on her young features. As soon as she turned though, both of their faces changed instantly. Akane's fury evaporated into a happy and expectant look as she gazed in his direction.</p><p>He, on the other hand, barely had the willpower to cobble together a panicked smile and plaster it on his face.</p><p>Desperately, Genma looked to his lifelong friend, seated at the head of the table, but a single glance revealed no aid forthcoming from that direction. Soun wasn't even paying attention to the <em>meal</em> at the center of the table. Rather, his longhaired contemporary was staring into space, a thin, yet steady, stream of tears pouring down his cheeks. Of course, considering that the tears had been almost a constant since Akane and Ranma returned from America... The panda cursed martial artist let out a long sigh.</p><p>At least it appeared that Soun was in his 'Kasumi Phase' again.</p><p>Unfortunately, and as much as it pained him to think it, Soun had never been a strong man, not since the regrettable passing of his wonderful wife. The fact that Kasumi and Nabiki had been kidnapped in the first place had put a tremendous strain on the man. It had taken everything Genma could think of just to keep his oldest friend from slipping completely into despair. Luckily, none of the children had been around to see the, already legendary, bender that he'd taken his friend on.</p><p>Of course, having Akane return with the news that, not only had she not brought her sisters with her, but that Kasumi was joining a team of crime fighters and Nabiki had gone completely criminal... It was a small wonder that Soun was functioning at all. Genma was fairly sure that the <em>only</em> thing keeping the man going was the fact that Akane was back at home, safe and sound.</p><p>But then... functioning was all a matter of perspective. Though Soun hadn't completely withdrawn from reality, he had started to cycle through three distinctive moods. First, was the Akane phase, in which Soun would cry tears of desperate joy that Akane was still here and safe. It was the most preferable of the phases, and relatively quiet.</p><p>The second phase, which had two distinct phases of its own, was the Kasumi phase. Invariably, whenever the Tendo Patriarch thought about his eldest daughter, one of two things happened. The first was that the man descended into an inconsolable fit of dread and anguish, living in fear that Kasumi's life was in a constant state of danger because she was staying with those young heroes. It was... not a pleasant sight. The second aspect, or what was happening now, was Soun's 'tragic, but trying to be noble about it' tears of pride. As much as Soun would never admit it, the idea that Kasumi was actively making a life for herself and helping other people, it was something that he could be immensely proud of indeed.</p><p>Heck, Genma was proud of the girl himself.</p><p>Which left the third phase, or, as he loathed to think about it, the 'Nabiki Phase'. Luckily the Nabiki phases were relatively rare, since the showers of tears that resulted from <em>those</em> usually left him as a panda for the remainder of the day. Although Genma liked to joke in his head that the only thing surprising about Nabiki becoming a criminal was the fact that Soun was surprised about it, it still saddened him greatly to see his friend in such a state. There were, of course, the tears of shame and anger. Shame that Nabiki would turn to crime, anger that she would dishonor the Tendo name so... But Genma knew his friend too well, the thing which really hurt the eldest Tendo, was the fact that she had chosen her criminal life over her family.</p><p>Soun loved all his girls, they were the sum of his world, and the thought that one of them would abandon him... Suddenly Genma felt the rare and unfamiliar tingle of guilt at the base of his skull. It would likely feel something like what he had done to his wife, so long ago... Oh, the sacrifices that he had made for the Art, it was times like this, that he wondered if it had really been worth it.</p><p>Especially considering what an ingrate of a son he had raised! The least the boy could have done was take him with him!</p><p>The elder Saotome sighed again and looked from the odd entree to Akane's hopeful expression. There was only one thing that he could think to ask...</p><p>"Akane... is it supposed to be glowing blue like that?"</p><p>A sudden look of panic suddenly flashed over the girl's face and she whipped a thick book from... apparently nowhere. Maybe the same place that he got his signs? Hmm, best not to think about that.  Akane flipped through the pages before finding what she was looking for.</p><p>"Um... apparently yes," she replied, looking as surprised as he was at the revelation.</p><p>He tried to wrap his mind around <em>that</em> particular concept, when Soun suddenly reached forward and heaped a portion of the strangely glowing mass onto his plate. The vacant stare on the man's face either meant he was running on autopilot or had finally gone off the deep end and was looking to end it all!</p><p>"Ah, Soun, are... are you sure that's wise?" he asked tentatively. He bravely ignored the fiery look that Akane sent his way.</p><p>Rather than answer, the other man just mumbled morosely under his breath, something about his poor babies. Then, without even looking at the plate, Soun scooped a (probably lethal) dose of the food into his mouth. The move was so quick and deliberate, that Genma had only leapt halfway across the table, trying to slap said spoon away, before it was already too late.</p><p>Genma looked away in shame as his friend's frame suddenly locked up in shock. What a <em>fool</em> he was! If only he had been a little faster, if only he'd stopped his friend from committing suicide... Now <em>he</em> was probably going to be stuck providing for Akane and Ranma.</p><p>The noble tears he cried for his fallen comrade were dashed though, as Soun suddenly relaxed and looked up at his daughter in surprise. Slowly the man lowered his spoon back to his plate and looked at it in slight wonder.</p><p>"It-it tastes like sushi... and... ice cream."</p><p>Akane looked down at her father, a beaming smile blooming on her face, only to suddenly drop into a confused grimace.</p><p>"Wait... is that good or bad?" she asked.</p><p>Soun looked at the plate, considering her question for several moments. Surprisingly, the tears had stopped, it was almost enough to make Genma consider trying the dish himself. Surely it held some divine powers within its luminescent, gooey depths to accomplish such a feat.</p><p>"It is... edible," stated the man finally. Then the tears started again as the man wrapped his arms around his daughter's legs. Soun's voice nearly burst with pride as he spoke. "Oh, Akane. You've cooked an edible meal, your mother would be so... um... Hmmm, I don't think proud is the word... Your mother would be so..."</p><p>"Surprised?" Genma added helpfully.</p><p>Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as the combined glares of proud father and offended daughter descended upon him. The last thing that really crossed his mind, as he began his desperate bid for freedom, was...</p><p>What was that ingrate son of his doing?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Very slowly, and with great care, Ranma rolled his motorcycle into the darkened alley. Then with deliberate, almost methodical calmness, turned off the ignition and lowered the kickstand, gently letting the machine lean slightly to the left. Finally, with dignified grace, he dismounted the vehicle and took three measured steps to the alley wall.</p><p>It was then, that he finally turned to regard the crimson piece of machinery, with an... odd look on his face.</p><p>"I've fought berserk martial artists and Chinese warlords, faced ghosts and demons, I've even been tossed into a pit of cats repeatedly..." Suddenly, his legs gave way and he collapsed against the wall behind him, shaking like a leaf. "But I have <em>never</em> been so <em>terrified</em> in all of my life!"</p><p>He wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, or to the hellish beast that loomed before him; of course, neither option was a sign of clean mental health. For the love of all the Gods! And he had thought that Starfire was trying to kill him? What on Earth had Robin been thinking, giving him a motorcycle?</p><p>In the short drive it had taken him to get to the outskirts of the downtown region, he'd nearly died <em>twenty-seven</em> times! He shuddered again at the memory of his unintended trip onto one of the soaring highways that ran through the city. That was something that he never wanted to even think about, ever again. Sure, ninety kilometers an hour didn't sound that fast, but in that kind of traffic and considering he'd never driven before...</p><p>And those damn highways had, like, <em>no</em> exits! He'd been stuck on there for what a nerve-wracking eternity, ducking and weaving around compacts, SUV’s, and transports.</p><p>"Man, ya know what, Death Machine, I think I'll walk from here. Hopefully by the time I get back, the traffic will have died down some," he muttered again. He still wasn't sure who he was talking to, but he was finally starting to calm down a bit.</p><p>It was probably for the best, all he really needed the bike for, was to get to and from Nerima. He didn’t need it to get around now that he was in the city... right? He let out a sigh of disgust, not that he knew where he was going or anything either. More reason to ditch the bike in his mind.</p><p>Decision made, he pulled out his remote and pressed the button to activate the bikes anti-theft features. The lights flashed and the horn beeped quietly when he pushed the button, but nothing else seemed to happen. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned to go. He figured it would be fine, after all, Robin must have had to leave his bike alone all the time.</p><p>Finally, now that <em>that</em> was out of the way, it was time to get down to business. It was time to find him some serious bad guys to beat on. How hard could it be, really? Tokyo was a huge city, there was bound to be some costumed whacko out somewhere causing trouble. Hmmm...</p><p>Now, if he were a criminal, where would he be?</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Hiro flung himself desperately into the alley and slammed his back to one of its rough walls. His breathing came in desperate gasps, both from excitement over the success of his latest heist, and the exhaustion of running so hard. It had been a daring plan, but he'd executed it perfectly. His victim had been totally unprepared as well. This was sure to be his greatest take yet!</p><p>He took a few more seconds to catch his breath, before finally looking down at his prize, clutched tightly to his chest. It represented days of planning, hours spent on the street, picking out the perfect mark. Its soft leather surface shone dully in the dim moonlight.</p><p>It looked like it might be a Prada!</p><p>Yes, Hiro thought to himself, that had been his most professional purse snatching ever! There was likely at least ten thousand yen in the purse, not to mention any credit cards the lady might have had. He could probably pawn the purse itself off for a decent price. A grand score indeed.</p><p>After a few more patient moments, he was finally satisfied that no one seemed to be following him. Confident that his larcenous activities were a smashing success, he dusted off his pants happily and strolled deeper into the alleyway-</p><p>"<em>Ah</em>!"</p><p>His heart nearly locked up when, as soon as he turned, he nearly walked face first into someone else in the alley. He stumbled back in shock several feet, trying to regain his composure and take in the person that had just shocked him half to death.</p><p>The young man, dressed in an odd Chinese manner, was currently hanging upside down from the bottom rung of a fire escape ladder. The young man was also staring at him, a mix of disgust and embarrassment on his face.</p><p>"A purse snatcher? That's the best I get? Pork-butt gets a madman bent on destroying a city and I get a purse snatcher?" The young man began to mutter to himself, still hanging upside down in a most effortless manner. What ever the guy was talking about, though, he had no idea.</p><p>"W-who the hell are you?" Hiro asked the interloper, still not thinking straight.</p><p>If the guy heard him, he didn't respond. Rather, the mystery man fired out his own inquiries. "<em>Please</em> tell me that you at least have some kind of super strength?"</p><p>Hiro could only stare at the pig-tailed stranger in confusion. "Are you crazy? What the heck do you want with me, kid?" he fired back, wondering if the guy was off his rocker completely.</p><p>The hanging boy simply let out an explosive sigh, sounding strangely disappointed. "No? How about energy blasts? Can you fly? Please tell me that you at least know <em>some</em> kind of esoteric martial arts, heck, everyone in this town knows <em>some</em> martial art."</p><p>Hiro's worried look only increased. "Do you think if I could fly, that I'd be running away like - Wait! What the heck am I talkin to you like this for?" he barked out angrily. The guy was hanging upside down after all, there wasn't much he could do without falling. Hiro advanced on him, raising his fists threateningly. "Now, get outta my way, before I have to hurt you!"</p><p>If anything, the boy managed to look even more despondent. "Man, this is just sad. I am literally embarrassed to be here now. Look, buddy, if you just give up now, I won't bother knockin’ ya out, we'll just walk you down to the police box and turn you in," offered the boy in a defeated voice. Which struck Hiro as odd, considering the guy didn't seem to think he was a threat at all.</p><p>Well, he'd show this guy!</p><p>Without warning, he jumped forward and lashed out with a flashing right hook. Muscles honed from grueling hours of pulling purses away from little old ladies burned to life. Bone and tendon all worked in tandem, launching his calcium enriched knuckles directly at the sad face of his enemy.</p><p>With a thunderous whoosh, his fist flew right through the space where the boy's head had been, right until the guy bent backwards and lifted his head out of the way. The blue-eyed youth then lowered himself back down, his look descending into a bored expression.</p><p>"Look, seriously pal, actually fightin’ ya would be <em>more</em> embarrassing for <em>me</em>than it would be for you. Would you just give it up? You're not even worth <em>taunting</em>..."</p><p>The boy's words trailed off as he leaned casually to the side, cleanly avoiding Hiro's lightning-fast left jab. It was quickly followed by a series of punches, jabs, hooks, haymakers, and uppercuts; absolutely everything that Hiro had ever learned in those three boxing classes he'd taken three years ago because his mom was tired of him getting beat up at school.</p><p>And not a single blow landed. The boy just ducked, weaved, and swung around each strike, never even moving his hands from behind his back. What was worse, was that the pigtailed nemesis didn't even look like he was trying... or paying attention for that matter.</p><p>Finally, a minute later, Hiro collapsed back against the wall, wheezing for oxygen once again. Apparently seeing that he was out of the fight, the hanging guy dropped form the ladder and flipped to land before him in a very gymnastic maneuver.</p><p>"Are you done now?" asked the bored fighter, casually brushing some dust off his red Chinese shirt.</p><p>Hiro's response was simple yet clear, as he bull rushed his opponent, trying to tackle the slightly smaller male. It seemed like a bit of a long shot... but really, what choice did he have?</p><p>Of course, the pig -tailed boy saw his charge coming a mile away. If anything, the guy almost looked ready to cry, rather than exultant in his imminent victory. Which was pretty much what Hiro figured must have happened...</p><p>Since it was about that time that everything went black.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma stared at the sleeping purse snatcher at his feet. The pressure point he'd used was just about the most basic and non-violent thing he managed to think of to take the guy out. The fact that it had worked was just a testament to just how <em>unbelievably</em> outclassed his opponent had been. That pressure point wouldn't have worked on Tsubasa... well, probably not anyway, Tsubasa was pretty pathetic too.</p><p>Mentally, he began to tally his take for the night. He lifted his right hand up and extended his index finger. "One mugger; piece of cake." He raised his middle finger. "One cat burglar; that guy didn't even put up a fight.” He raised his ring finger. "That really old guy trying to take a lollipop from a baby..." He lowered that finger, "Hmm, actually, the baby won that one..."</p><p>He then looked back to the guy at his feet. "And one purse snatcher. Man, this is ridiculous, there has ta be <em>someone</em> in this city that's worth fighting. There's no way that I'll be able to keep up with Ryouga if he keeps getting major bad guys and I get stuff like this. Man, if I keep fightin these guys, I might actually get <em>worse</em>."</p><p>Still, improvement or not, he still had to deal with the pile of petty criminal at his feet. Feeling like a kid being forced to clean his room, he reluctantly grabbed the back of the purse snatchers jacket and started dragging him out of the alley. Talk about a disappointing night. After dropping this guy off...</p><p>He was <em>so</em> going home.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane looked up from her schoolbook at the sound of a motorcycle entering the backyard. A bit surprised, she looked over to the clock to the side. It was only eleven o'clock; she wasn't expecting her fiancé to be back from his... <em>crime fighting</em> for at least another hour or two. Not that she was waiting up for him or anything.</p><p>Certainly not because she was worried, either.</p><p>Her fiancé's machine idled up to the deck before the sound of the motor finally died out. She took a moment to decide whether to still be angry with the boy, for appearance’s sake and such, but then decided to let his next actions decide. It had been a few hours after all, and Ranma did tend to have a contagious smile when he was happy. Maybe he would have some good stories for her, or maybe he'd even offer to take her for a ride on his motorcycle.</p><p>Not that she was at all excited about the idea... really.</p><p>She carefully closed her textbook and lowered it to the table as the near whisper of Ranma's footsteps sounded across the back porch. Hmm, that was slightly odd, he was making more noise than he usually did. If it had been anyone else outside that door, she'd swear they were dragging their feet...</p><p>Slowly, the back door slid open and the pig tailed boy wandered into the house. Immediately, she noticed the rather depressed and disappointed look on his face. He looked up; a bit surprised to see her there, apparently. Whatever had happened, it seemed to have made him forget that she had been mad at him when he left. Rather, he just waved at her a little weakly.</p><p>"Hey, 'Kane. What ya workin' on?" he mumbled a little despondently.</p><p>A little twinge of sympathy rose in her heart at the lilt in his voice. She decided then, that she could let the whole dinner episode slide. After all, her father and Mr. Saotome had liked it, so she was happy enough.</p><p>"Nothing much, just an English assignment. Heh, they seem ridiculously easy after being drilled by Cologne and immersed in it with the Titans," she explained, trying to lift Ranma's spirits a bit. It did seem to have an effect, as the boy's lips twinged slightly upwards.</p><p>"Yeah, Miss Hinako nearly drained me for cheatin’ after that first test last week..." he trailed off, losing enthusiasm quickly.</p><p>She motioned for him to sit beside her, a worried look forming on her features. Surprisingly, he did just that, and dropping his chin to the table soon after. She lowered her own chin to rest on her hands and turned to look him in the eyes.</p><p>"So... how did it go?" she asked quietly.</p><p>Ranma let out a rather loud sigh at that. "I don't really wanna talk about it."</p><p>She nodded in understanding. "That bad, huh? Did you at least help anyone?"</p><p>He seemed to consider that for a few moments, before finally nodding. "Yeah, I guess so, but none of the guys that I stopped were even worth my time. I feel like I wasted my whole night goin' out there. There's no way that I'm gonna get the kind of training that Ryouga does against muggers and purse snatchers..."</p><p>Akane giggled at that, at the absurd image of Ranma, one of the greatest fighters that she's ever known, battling purse snatcher in mortal combat. Still, it was obvious that it was bothering him. "Ranma... I think that you're missing the point here," she stated carefully.</p><p>He stared back, obviously not understanding. Rather than reply, he just grunted out a semi-verbal request for her to explain. Letting out a sigh at his proto-human behavior, she rolled her eyes and continued.</p><p>"Ranma, the point of fighting crime isn't to become a better martial artist. The point of fighting crime is to <em>fight crime</em>. Ryouga didn't join the Titans so that he could get good enough to beat you, he did it so that he could help people." Ranma's questioning eyebrow stopped her for a moment.</p><p>"Okay, okay, so Ryouga joining the Titans <em>did</em> help him beat you, once, but didn't you say that he was as surprised by the fact that he won as you were?" she asked.</p><p>Ranma considered that point as well, before nodding slowly to himself.</p><p>"See? So, since you think that Ryouga has better people to fight than you, you said you were wasting your time tonight. Tell me, do you think the person that you saved from that mugger thinks that you helping <em>them </em>was a waste of time?" she inquired leadingly.</p><p>The pigtailed boy's eyes widened slightly for a moment, before he looked down, a bit shamefaced. "Makes me seem a bit petty now, don't it? Here I am, more worried about helpin' myself than anyone else... Maybe I'm not cut out for this hero stuff after all," muttered her fiancé, his voice hitting an all time low.</p><p>Rather than agree with him, she smiled warmly and dropped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, you <em>are</em> a hero. You flew around the world, just to help your friend. You fought a psychotic villain and even managed to save us all in the end... with a little help from Starfire," she added teasingly.</p><p>The despairing look on Ranma's face lifted a bit at that, in fact, the boy smiled fondly at the memory. "Heh, with a <em>lot</em> of help from Starfire. There's no way that I could have done it without her. And even more help from Raven, if it weren't for her, none of us would be here right now."</p><p>She nodded, glad to see that he was catching on. "See? Your heart is in the right place, you're just looking at it from the wrong angle. Raven and Starfire aren't worried about getting better, they're just worried about helping people. As long as you remember that helping people is the real reason that you go out there, then maybe it won't seem like such a waste of time when you stop those muggers and purse snatchers.”</p><p>Her smile widened and she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.</p><p>"And I bet, that given enough time, you'll eventually run into someone that will actually give you the challenge that you're looking for. After all, I bet the Titans deal with normal criminals all the time, too.  They can't all be super villains, can they? Besides, you're such a trouble magnet, it's only a matter of time, when you think about it," she finished.</p><p>Finally, he sat back up, smiling, and nodding to himself. "Hey, you're right, Akane. If I'm out there helping people, I'll be doin' something worthwhile. And I'm sure that eventually my hard work’ll pay off and I'll get my very own villain!"</p><p>Akane rolled her eyes at that, leave it to her fiancé to think a dangerous opponent was good karma. She was about to tease him about that very thing, when suddenly he locked eyes with her, a warm look in his sapphire orbs. She felt a small murmur in her chest, and she sucked in a small breath involuntarily.</p><p>"Thanks, Akane. You really made me feel better about this, I don't know how to thank you..." he trailed off, a small blush forming on his cheeks as he realized what he was saying.</p><p>She decided to take the initiative and put a finger to his lips, since it was always at just that moment that he would invariably begin to speak without thinking and inevitably insult her, yet again. His lips were surprisingly soft, but she decided to tuck that fact away for later consideration. She felt her own cheeks begin to burn as she thought about her answer.</p><p>"Well... if you're <em>that</em> thankful, maybe... you could give me a ride on your bike tomorrow... if it's not too much trouble..." she began to trail off herself, starting to feel embarrassed over her forward suggestion. It was almost inevitable that he would twist her request around on her, or say something unintentionally insulting.</p><p>However, rather than either of those things, he simply raised his hand to encompass hers, and lowered her finger from his lips. But instead of answering, he just nodded, smiling shyly himself.</p><p>And they remained there for some time, just hold hands for no reason. It was, the youngest Tendo thought to herself, kind of nice.  She didn't know what exactly was going on with her fiancé lately, but she found it hard to say she didn't like whatever it was. Of course, if it was up to her...</p><p>Ranma would hopefully <em>never</em> have to deal with a villain a dangerous as the Headmaster.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>'Kill them all'</em>
</p><p>The thought had been on Brushogun's mind often since his transformation. <em>'Kill them all, kill everything that lives</em>.' He knew it was the demon inside him that wanted it, the demon wanted him to bath in the blood of his victims, to paint the entire world crimson, as it were. Somewhat appropriate, really.</p><p>"No... not yet anyway. I – I still don't know what I can do, or what I'm up against... I can't just start killing people," he muttered to himself. He ignored the strange looks on his minion's faces, they were just reflections of his will anyway, it didn't matter what they thought.</p><p><em>'KILL</em>!'</p><p>Brushogun reeled slightly as the thought echoed through his head. "Maybe... I'll work my way up to that... Start small, learn my limits, learn what I can do. That – that makes sense," he tried to reason with himself.</p><p><em>'KILL</em>!'</p><p>"NO!"</p><p>"No... I can't just jump straight to murder... That's not how it's done in the manga...," he muttered quietly. Slowly, he looked to his ink-stained hands, uncertainty staining his mind as well. He didn't want to kill people, did he? Why did he want to kill people again?</p><p>Why were his hands bleeding ink again?</p><p>Brushogun’s entire body convulsed painfully, then rocked to the side, clutching his papery skull. His minions watched impassively with empty eyes, as their master flailed to and fro before them. Until, finally, Brushogun grew still once more.</p><p>Slowly, Brushogun stood straight, his liquid smile spreading wide across his face. No, there was no need to go straight to the real fun. He needed to stretch his wings first, spread chaos, sow fear, let this pathetic city know who its new master was. First, he needed to crush his opposition; he needed to show the populace that they were powerless before him.</p><p>His smile widened, mirrored cruelly on the faces of his creations. For that, he would need to find Tokyo's heroes, its defenders...</p><p>And crush them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma sat comfortably on the lawn, tinkering with the motorcycle that Robin had sent him. Not that he really knew enough to actually improve it, or anything like that, but at the very least he figured he couldn't mess it up too bad since he had the manual right beside him. More of an interest thing, he supposed. It was pretty fun to learn about his new machine, even if it wasn't directly related to martial arts.</p><p>Of course, his good mood had yet to recover from Akane storming off, just moments earlier. For some reason, the dumb Tomboy had made some inane comment about Ryouga and he'd replied with the first thing that came to mind.</p><p>Apparently Akane didn't agree with his belief that Jinx was a much better match for Ryouga than Raven. Not that he really cared who the directionally challenged moron ended up with, he just figured that the pink eyed sorceress had really gone above and beyond for Bacon Breath. If anyone deserved some happiness, it was that girl.</p><p>Idly, he wondered whatever happened to that mischievous female, Jinx.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Idly, Happosai wondered whatever happened to that pesky brat, Robin.</p><p>Not really paying any attention to where he was going at the moment, the ancient master let his mind wander slightly. It had been a while since Robin had been out to try and spoil his fun; in fact, he didn't think he'd seen the young man since his last battle with the lovely Red X. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her since that night either.</p><p>As depressing as it sounded... he missed their single-minded pursuits. While his nightly raids were still rewarding, they just weren't as fulfilling as the nights when they had been hot on his heels. Certainly, Ranma surpassed both of them by leaps and bounds, but his heir apparent was a reluctant trainee at the best of times. The single minded determination of Robin and the irrational dislike that Red X seemed to harbor, they were a refreshing change from his favorite pupil's rather lazy attitude.</p><p>A massive leap took him across yet another yawning alleyway, depositing him soundlessly on the roof of a rather lavish hotel building. Yes, this place was bound to have a few wealthy patrons, wealthy patrons that undoubtedly owned rather lavish undergarments of their own.</p><p>The old man absently wiped a small line of drool from his chin. No need to get too excited before he actually accomplished his mission. With a careful shift of his shoulders, he positioned his beloved sack of trophies to allow him the best angle of entry into the building.</p><p>Of course, hotels presented unique challenges of their own, especially since many of them didn't have windows that actually opened. However, for a master of his skills, even that wasn't an impossible obstacle to overcome. He took a few moments to scope out the roof's layout; it was an older building with fancy ledges, gargoyles and the works. All the better. His point of entrance decided upon, he hopped onto the ledg-</p><p>Whoa!</p><p>Suddenly he was freefalling, the crumbling remains of the rotten piece of stone raining down around him! He swung around quickly to latch onto the wall, when -</p><p>The most horrifying sound he had ever been subjected to assaulted his sensitive ears; the sound of ripping cloth tore into his very soul. For just a moment, all thoughts of saving himself were forgotten, as a gentle rain of silky treasures joined him and the crumbling stone in the thrall of gravity. The image of his precious sack tearing open and liberating his hard gotten gains back into the world... it burned into his eyes, branded itself on his memory.</p><p>Then, just as he was about to spring into action and reclaim all his treasures in a flash of movement... a strong wind chose that exact second to ambush him and send his precious undergarments floating off into the night.</p><p>He absently considered just letting himself fall to the unforgiving ground below...</p><p>But then his common sense kicked in and he grabbed onto the next ledge and pulled himself up. With a tear in his eye, he saluted the escaping underwear as it returned from whence it came... well, more or less.</p><p>"Oh, well! There's always tomorrow," he cackled to himself. Really though, that had just been some unbelievably bad luck...</p><p>"Wait just a second!"</p><p>Two rapid jumps took him back to the building's roof, where he landed with an angry thump. He glared angrily across the rooftop, staring down his unexpected companion.</p><p>"That was a mean trick to play on an old man, Jinx!"</p><p>A precocious giggle floated through the night air, as the slim figure of the girl melted out of the shadows before him. Her dainty, platform boots crunched across the gravel as she moved closer to him. He looked her over once more, matching the lovely, though underdeveloped girl against his memory. Everything seemed to match up, her uniform still consisted of the black dress, ending mid thigh, the oddly stripped socks of alternating black and dark purple and, of course, the dark stone hanging from the choker around her slender neck.</p><p>There was one glaring difference though, the girl had yet to return her hair to it's usual upturned style. Rather, Jinx still wore her long pink hair flowing around her shoulders. Happosai admitted it was somewhat flattering, though not nearly as interesting and distinctive as her previous style.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Happi, I just wanted to make sure that I had your undivided attention," she replied mischievously.</p><p>He quirked an eyebrow in interest at that. Hmm, there was something else new as well, it was subtle enough that he'd nearly missed it. The spunky young villainess had a single piece of yellow and black cloth braided tightly into her hair, very neatly framing the left side of her face. Definitely a noteworthy addition, if it meant what he thought it might.</p><p>"Well, my dear, you most assuredly have it now. I suggest you put it to good use before I remember that you just cost me an entire night's haul," he suggested seriously.</p><p>If she was in any way intimidated by his threatening tone, she gave absolutely no sign. He smiled internally as she offered him her patented Cheshire grin in response. Such a mischievous and fearless girl; he really, really liked her.</p><p>"I need your help... Master," she stated rather seriously herself. Her smile melted away slightly at her admission, a somewhat nervous look forming on her features now. How odd, that, the girl that just smiled at his anger like the devil may care, was nervous about asking him for help.</p><p>"Help with what, Jinx?" he inquired, slightly emphasizing his use of her name. "Looking to get back into the game, or looking for revenge?"</p><p>The young sorceress looked to the side, uncertainty hanging over her like a pall. "I – I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, yet. I don't think... that I want to go back to being a petty criminal; I don't really want revenge on anyone, either..."</p><p>He tipped his head to the side, gazing at her questioningly. "Then...?"</p><p>Again, her pink, slitted eyes met his, determination finally entering into them once more. "I may not know what I <em>want</em> to do yet, but I sure as hell know what I <em>don't</em> want to do. I don't want to be <em>weak</em> anymore. Raven and all the Titans, they all got so much stronger because of Cologne. Even after all the work I did with you, Ryouga and Mousse, that witch still beat me like nothing!" she hissed loudly.</p><p>Happosai smiled slyly at that. Not out for revenge, eh? Still, a fierce rivalry was always a good thing to foster; nothing got you stronger, faster, than really hating someone's guts. And if it gave him the chance to thumb his nose at Cologne... He chuckled to himself, it might even give him a chance to set her back on track in her pursuit of a certain fanged boy. He'd hate to think that he'd trained someone that would give up so easily, especially since it was <em>so</em> obvious that her and Ryouga were the better match. Giving the two girls one more thing to fight over, that was just an infinitely entertaining perk. Of course, favoritism aside, he still had to make sure she was worthy of his training.</p><p>"Well, if all you're looking for is a strength boost, I have a great recipe for Super-Soba that will take care of that quick. Heh, I'm sure a set of whiskers would actually work on you," he said while vainly holding in his snickering.</p><p>This time the fate bending girl actually glared at him. "Quit joking around! That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't just want to be a stronger fighter... I want to be a stronger person again, too," she admitted sadly. "I feel like – like I've been doing nothing but doubting and second guessing myself ever since the day that I met Ryouga. I... I hate what I've become, so pathetic and emotional."</p><p>The sad note left her voice then, as a hard glint filled her feline eyes. "I want to be fearless again! I don't want to care about what anyone thinks. I don't want to feel inferior ever again... I want... I want to be like you..."</p><p>The ancient master's eyes nearly popped out of his head at that quiet declaration! She wanted to be like him? Had this young woman completely lost her mind? <em>He</em> didn't even want to be like him most of the time. A thought stopped him short though... She likely didn't mean she wanted to be perverted like him. For some reason, she thought that he was fearless, that he was strong... she – she actually <em>respected</em> him.</p><p>By the gods, when was the last time that anyone had actually shown him respect? Not the spineless fear that his boneheaded students demonstrated, or Ranma's shallow platitudes when the boy actually desired something from him. It was obvious that Jinx wasn't afraid of him, not at all, but nor was she being insincere in any way.</p><p>It took him a moment to gather himself again. "You... you want to be like me, do you?"</p><p>A single, hesitant nod.</p><p>A small smile began to form on his face. "You want to be utterly and completely unrepentant of who you are? You want to live how you see fit and abide only by your own rules? You want to be absolutely sure of yourself and never regret any decision you make, no matter how insane it might be in hindsight?" With every question, his excitement grew, as did the gleam in Jinx's luminescent eyes.</p><p>Her Cheshire grin was back in full force now, her eyes glowing faintly in the night. "I think that's exactly what I want," she replied sharply.</p><p>He nodded sagely. "An interesting proposal, certainly. But, my dear, what exactly is in it for me?"</p><p>A long, suffering sigh escaped her perfect lips, as a resigned look entered her eyes. With great reluctance, the darkly clad girl reached behind her back and retrieved something. A second later, her hand swung forward and revealed her most valued form of currency.</p><p>A delightfully cute pair of dark maroon panties!</p><p>He stared in wonder at the deceptively simple pair of underpants. He could feel her unique energy saturating the soft material, even from across the roof. A master could get lost in that wondrous, mystic ki that was so fundamentally Jinx.</p><p>Jinx apparently misinterpreted his stare. Her resigned gaze boiled into an irate glare. "Look, this is as good as you're gonna get. I didn't start wearing thongs for <em>him</em>, so there's no way in heck that I'm gonna do it for <em>you</em>!"</p><p>For the first time that night, he actually burst into laughter. "No, no, Jinx. That will be more than enough, for the time being," he stated with great amusement. "Very well, if you're that intent on becoming my disciple, then I accept. You have great potential, Jinx, and I believe that under my tutelage you'll become <em>more</em> than a match for Raven, Ryouga, or even Ranma. Trust me, my dear, with your powers and my training, I believe I can make you... <em>invincible</em>," he finished in an unnecessarily sinister tone.</p><p>He let out an equally and unnecessarily sinister chuckle. He couldn't wait to see the rematch between his student and Cologne's half demon trainee. He'd been a bit disappointed to hear that Jinx had lost that first battle, though honestly, he hadn't given her nearly as much training as Cologne had Raven. Really, all he'd taught her was the trick to block the demon girl's ki sight. But next time... next time would be quite different indeed. Jinx's incredibly unique abilities seemed to offer a world of possibilities for him to exploit. The demon girl, it was obvious that she possessed much more raw power, but by it's very nature, Jinx's power was much more unpredictable. Oh yes, he'd show Cologne who the greater teacher was.</p><p>"Alright, Jinx, we should stop by Nabiki's base first. I think they might be worried if you just left without telling them," he stated in a sagely voice. That and it was always nice to know where a potential safe house was, where a potential scape goat could be found... and Nabiki had just the most wonderful taste in underwear.</p><p>Jinx nodded in agreement, thankfully missing the subtext of his request. "Where are we going, anyway, Happi?"</p><p>He just smiled happily.</p><p>"To achieve the advancement you seek, <em>you</em> are about to embark on a most excellent training adventure."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma shivered uncontrollably, a sense of something fundamentally wrong in the universe settling across his soul... A second later, it passed.</p><p>Huh, that had been weird. Ah well, where had he been again?</p><p>Oh, yeah, Akane...</p><p>Unfortunately, any concerns he might have had for Jinx were currently being quashed by the concern he was feeling for himself. After all, the only thing worse than Akane in the kitchen, was an angry Akane in the kitchen. Even worse, in the couple of days since his first trip into the city, she'd started cooking human food again, from time to time.</p><p>'Human food' being used in the loosest possible manner, of course.</p><p>He carefully placed the wrench to his side, the side of him that was the farthest from the porch and, incidentally, the place where his fiancée had been sitting. A lot of his new tools looked like they would really hurt if they came into contact with his skull, so he figured it would probably be a good idea to minimize the chance that Akane might get her hands on any of them, if ever he should accidentally do something to set her off.</p><p>Better safe than sorry and all that.</p><p>The martial mechanic then wiped his hand across his forehead, dashing some of the sweat that had gathered there. He looked up to the bright, sunshiny day that encompassed him. Really, it was far too nice of a day to spend indoors. With a widening smile, he slid his hand across the crimson shell of his new machine. He had never really gotten the hang of that computer junk, but this... this was something that he could really get into.</p><p>Oh, sure, he still barely knew how to drive the darn thing, but the mechanical aspect seemed to come to him fairly easy. Maybe it was his innate knowledge of biomechanics creeping over into a similar subject, or maybe he just had a hidden talent for it, who knew? All he knew, was that taking this machine apart and putting it back together gave him a sense of satisfaction that he usually only got from learning a new and powerful technique.</p><p>"Ranma! Lunch is ready, it's time to come in!" Akane's dulcet voice rang out the sliding door and through the air.</p><p>A rather nasty curse escaped his lips.</p><p>Frantically, he looked to the sliding door, then to his machine. He then looked from his bike down to the assorted parts sprawled around him. Damn! Let's see, that part goes there and that one there, but this thing needs to go in first and the-</p><p>"Ranma! Quit playing with your bike and get in here!" Akane's head joined her voice as she popped it out the door to glare at him. The look on her face seemed to indicate that she wasn't mad at him... yet, but that would change quickly, almost assuredly.</p><p>Still, he couldn't exactly get away while she was staring right at him. So, reluctantly, he stopped his rather frantic refurbishing and slowly lowered his tools back to the ground at his side. Then, with the resigned dignity of a man facing a firing squad, he rose to meet his fate.</p><p>Akane stared at him strangely as he trudged across the yard. "Sheesh, Ranma, I know you like tinkering with your bike, but honestly, it'll still be there after you're done eating," she said in a slightly patronizing manner.</p><p>"Yeah, but I might not be..." he whispered quietly enough to escape her keen ears.</p><p>Still in her oddly bubbly mood, Akane veritably glided back across the room and over to the table. With giddy exuberance, the young woman then lifted the lid off the large pot that took up the center of the table. Almost instantly, Ranma, his father and Mr. Tendo (both much closer to the epicenter than him) nearly keeled over from the smell.</p><p>If Akane noticed the - well, unsavory was about the most polite word he could think of now – the unsavory aroma, she hid it well. So that either meant that the girl had no sense of smell or was just too proud to admit that she'd screwed up, yet again... though the no sense of smell thing <em>might</em> explain a few things.</p><p>"I was feeling a little adventurous today, so I made spaghetti and meat balls! I just love Italian food!" she explained proudly.</p><p>To his credit, the heir of the Saotome school managed to get close enough to the table to actually take his seat. He noticed both of their fathers wavering, his own father looking ready to bolt. Not that he could blame the guy.  Whatever it was that was in that pot... he could almost swear he heard it chanting in tongues.</p><p>Eagerly, his... loving... fiancée scooped out a helping of the eldritch horror and dropped it onto his plate with a rather disturbing <em>squelching</em> noise.</p><p>"Ya know... I just can't figure it out...," he mumbled to himself quietly.</p><p>Akane looked at him, a questioning look on her face. "What's that, Ranma?"</p><p>He looked at the plate set out before him, what could only be described as a critical expression on his face. Absently, more to himself than to her, he replied without thinking.</p><p>"How is it that your alien food tastes almost like human food, but your human food tastes like alien food?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Deep, deep within Ranma's psyche, Common Sense Ranma screamed in anguish and tore out several more tufts of his already sparse hair. Why did Ranma never <em>listen</em> to him? All he had to do was listen! It wasn't that much to ask for, was it? Just to have the big ox think before he spoke? But nooooooooo. No, that would be too much for the great Saotome Ranma, wouldn't it?</p><p>Well, Common Sense Ranma would see who had the last laugh here.</p><p>Chuckling, in what could only be described as an unhinged manner, Common Sense Ranma grabbed his host's Autonomic Response to Imminent Danger, and squeezed...</p><p>Hard.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Oh, crap.  Ranma knew that sensation! Paralytic hesitation! He had no idea what caused it, but it almost always happened immediately after he said something, and it <em>always</em>seemed to herald an imminent and brutal impact.</p><p>"<em>Ranma</em><strong>, </strong>you <em>jerk</em>!"</p><p>With a weak sigh, he merely closed his eyes as the shadow of the table blotted out the sun.</p><p>With a calamitous crash, the table crushed him beneath its wooden bulk. Damn Nabiki, why did she have to invest in an Ironwood table?</p><p>"Honestly! How can he insult my cooking when he hasn't even tried it?" Akane's question seemed to be a rhetorical one, as she was already leaving the room, even as the edges of his vision start to fade to darkness.</p><p>The last thought he had, before the blackness engulfed him, was...</p><p>Thank goodness that I don't have to eat-</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun's smile literally dripped with malice as he gazed on his latest creation. The crimson shell of his newest minion glimmered dimly in the warehouse's poor lighting. This, this would be his first strike against the pathetic masses of humanity corrupting this world. First, he would crush the defenders of this disgusting city, then he would crush its populace beneath his heel.</p><p>Then, as his power grew, he would spread his domain, eventually the <em>world</em> would bow before him. That was how it went, after all... wasn't it? Beings of such unlimited power as his, they always tried to conquer the world, so it was only logical that he should do the same.</p><p>The demonic entity flinched and held a clawed hand to his head, fighting off yet another sudden headache. It felt like a voice was shrieking at him from the very edges of his consciousness, tearing angrily at the distant fringes of his being, from just beyond his perception. It didn't speak in words, was too ancient and alien to communicate in anything resembling human speech, but it seemed to be telling him that he was going about this all wrong.</p><p>Once again, he forced the... voice away, back to the void that now existed where his soul once had. It frightened him how difficult it was getting and he wasn't certain how much longer he would be able to do so. The once-artist shied his mind away from the thoughts of what he might do when the day came that he could no longer resist that inhuman voice...</p><p>Bah! What did it know anyway? He knew how villains were supposed to act, he'd been reading comic books since he was a child. There were certain rules that needed to be followed, certain protocols of villainy that needed to be observed.</p><p>He looked back to his minion once more, the crimson demon gazing back at him impassively. The Ink Demon smiled at the character's design, Brushogun liked to consider him as an... homage to the rather classic Ultraman. Sleek red armor covered the perfect physique of the false-man, a powerful jet pack adorned his back and large red gems adorned both his chest and forehead.</p><p>Overall, he'd say that he'd done a rather good job on this one...</p><p>"Now, Saico-Tek, go out... and destroy the defenders of this city."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma groaned weakly as his impromptu nap finally came to its rather painful conclusion. The first thing that he noted, was the absence of any unholy odor. At least it seemed that Akane had either cleaned up or tossed out the remains of her lunch (Oh, how he prayed for the latter!) The next thing, was the rather heavy weight of the table still crushing down on him.</p><p>He struggled weakly for a moment...</p><p>Hmm, on second thought, the table would keep, at least until his skeleton stopped hurting. On the bright side, she'd only crushed his body this time, his head was still blissfully free from the table. Hey! He could see the TV too, nice! That meant he could watch something while he waited for his body to stop being broken.</p><p>He wiggled his hands back and forth a bit, they were both free as well, though his arms were still pinned. After a moment, he gave up and scratched his nose. Hmm, a dilemma then... How does one turn on a television when you can't move?</p><p>If he had a yen coin or something equally tiny, he could flick it at the ‘ON’ button!</p><p>The pigtailed boy scanned his surroundings quickly. Hmm, the only projectile within his vicinity appeared to be a tiny fragment of Akane's aborted meal... no, that wouldn't do, he wanted to turn the TV on, not destroy the thing.</p><p>Wait a second... He chuckled evilly to himself. Saotome Ranma was a genius! All this problem required was a little thinking outside the box.</p><p>With excruciating care and concentration, he lined his thumb and forefinger up with the TV's on switch...</p><p>His tongue poked out the corner of his mouth as he marshaled every ounce of his martial skill into the next moment... Now!</p><p>"<em>Mouko Takabisha Revised: Pride of the Cheerful Cricket!"</em></p><p>Using his battle cry to focus his attack, he flicked his finger mightily, lobbing the tiny nimbus of golden light at the television. The pea sized chi blast flew with unerring grace and hit his target, bursting with just enough force to actually depress the button. The only evidence that his attack had existed was the flash of light and sound as the television flared to life... and the tiny scorch mark on the button.</p><p>"Ha! Man, I knew I was great, but this is just a whole new level of great," he stroked his own ego happily. Ha! If the Shi Shi Houkodan could have non-combat applications, than so could the Mouko Takabisha!</p><p>Hey, an episode of Dragon Ball Z was on, even better!</p><p>It looked like everything was coming up Ranma today! He settled in to spend the next half hour or so watching his favorite martial artist alien power up (He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why Ryouga liked Vegeta better than Goku.) when -</p><p>"We interrupt this program to bring you this important news bulletin!"</p><p>"Ah, crap," he moaned to himself. Always when it was something that <em>he</em> wanted to watch!</p><p>Suddenly the scene on the television switched from an eternally yelling Saiyan to a live shot of downtown Tokyo. An attractive woman holding a microphone stood in the foreground, but behind her was a scene of complete chaos! Dozens of police cars filled the street some hundred or so yards behind the woman and the street was swarming with at least twice that number of officers. Several of the cars were burning merrily and shouts of panic filling the air.</p><p>The woman suddenly began to speak, a somewhat panicked tone in her voice as well. "I am reporting, live, from just outside the Metropolitan Government Building in the Shinjuku ward, where a costumed villain has started a one man war against the Tokyo Police Force."</p><p>A sudden explosion of red in the background sent the woman stumbling forward a few steps, her panicked look only increasing. A smoking hubcap clattering to the ground roughly a foot to her left... pretty much finished her off. With a shriek of complete terror, the attractive reporter dropped her microphone and ran off screen.</p><p>The picture of the raging battle held for another minute, before the cameraman suddenly ran for cover as well. Everything after that was a rather poor shot taken around the bumper of a nearby car.</p><p>Ranma continued to stare, transfixed, at the image for another moment, before his brain suddenly kicked into gear.</p><p>"Holy crap!"</p><p>The table went flying to crash against the wall as he leapt up to his feet. Why hadn't he heard about it on his police scanner while he was outside?</p><p>He slapped a hand against his forehead... Because it was up in his room, so he could listen to it at night!</p><p>"Damn!"</p><p>He didn't even bother to tell Akane what he was doing. Free of his dining confines, he burst out the back door and veritably flew to his bike. Without the panic and fear that Akane's cooking caused, he looked to the pile of parts around his motorcycle and analyzed the most efficient way to reassemble them in a fraction of a second. Then, using the speed honed from his Katchu Tenshin Amagurinken, he replaced every part, every nut and every bolt faster than the eye could follow.</p><p>A second later, the roar of the engine filled the back yard. Luckily, Shinjuku was right next door to Nerima, so he at least had a chance of getting there in time. Without wasting the time to form another coherent thought, the master martial artist hopped on his bike and kicked it into gear.</p><p>If Akane hadn't heard anything up to that point, he was pretty sure that the squeal of burning rubber when he hit the pavement would definitely get the girl's attention. A tiny smile began to worm its way onto his face, as he blasted down the road.</p><p>Finally!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Lieutenant Uehara Daizo flung himself behind the open door of his patrol car, just in time to avoid the flaming shrapnel that was once Suzahara's matching vehicle. The blast wave of force and heat nearly slammed his door closed, crushing him painfully against the seat, but didn't sear the flesh off his bones like he was half expecting. A second later, he jumped up and spun to face the red clad psychopath, now hovering above the mass of flaming cars that populated the city street.</p><p>Taking quick aim, the veteran officer squeezed his trigger as fast as he could, unloading another six rounds of molten lead at the cocky bastard. He smirked briefly, as each and every bullet slammed home, only to scowl angrily as, just as every bullet before, they twanged off harmlessly. He let out another small curse, apparently his marksmanship had gotten the bastard's attention.</p><p>The flying villain turned his way, producing another of those damned explosive throwing weapons out of seemingly nowhere.</p><p>Daizo was already running, even before the crimson monster pulled back his arm to throw the weapon. Even as he leapt on the trunk of another car and flung himself through the air, he somehow heard the whizzing sound of the bladed device cutting it's way towards his back. It struck him as slightly odd, considering the deafening cacophony of jet exhaust, roaring flames and screaming officers that surrounded him.</p><p>The dull thunk of the bomb slamming into the trunk only a scant few feet behind him caused a rather sour thought to travel through his mind, just before the thing exploded, flinging his already flying body an extra twenty feet or so into the air.</p><p>
  <em>I'm not even supposed to be here today!</em>
</p><p>He enjoyed a brief moment, as the pain he was in flickered momentarily into the mind-numbing variety. It gave him a short instant to think about his life and how it had been going up to that point. Hmm, you know, now that he thought about it, he really needed t-</p><p>A rather nasty crunching sound interrupted his train of thought, as he crashed painfully to the ground and bounced a few times before sliding to a halt. For a few seconds, he just lay there, forcing his lungs to collect the oxygen he required to live. It was an arduous process, but he figured it would be worth the effort in the long run...</p><p>The sound of something landing gently on the ground not too far away from him reminded him just what his situation was. With great difficulty, he rolled himself onto his back, then painfully lifted the gun that he had miraculously held on to this whole time. A flick of his finger opened the cylinder and let the six spent shells fall to the ground with a clatter.</p><p>How had it even come to this? It didn't make sense! One man could not just wipe out an entire platoon of police officers! This kind of thing just did <em>not</em> happen in Tokyo, and certainly not on his watch. Whoever this... this <em>super</em> villain was, he seemed to be invincible, immortal...</p><p>Damnit! This was not how fighting crime was supposed to work.</p><p>He was not at all surprised by the harsh sensation of a boot slamming down on his forearm, slamming his hand to the ground and causing his gun to slide out of reach. Nor was he surprised by the unnaturally strong hand twisting painfully into his lapels and lifting him till his feet were dangling a foot from the ground.</p><p>He glared into the emotionless crimson eyes of his captor, cold and merciless orbs more befitting a man eating shark than a human being. The man stared at him impassively, not even so much as a smirk of accomplishment or superiority marring his crimson-stained lips.</p><p>Expelling some of the precious air that he had just worked so hard to collect, he spat out at the armored monster. "W-what the <em>hell</em> do you want?"</p><p>He then lashed out with a weak kick, slamming the tip of his shoe into the villain's calf. As he suspected, it had no effect at all and all it got him was a rough shake. The red colored man studied him for another moment, apparently determining if he was finally done trying to fight. His head then cocked to the side and he replied in a very casual tone of voice.</p><p>"It is my duty to destroy the defenders of this city... and so I shall." The dangerous criminal then lifted his free hand and it seemed to – to <em>flow</em> together for a moment... The crimson blob then reshaped itself and solidified back into a normal hand... holding a cruel looking crimson dagger.</p><p>He would have liked to say more, to do more... but his body was failing him after his near incineration and short attempt at flight. So, with bitter pride, he hissed with his last breath. "Go. To. Hell!"</p><p>Finally, his murderer smiled, a wicked and cruel smile that belonged on no sane man's face.</p><p>"I insist...after you."</p><p>He watched as the gleaming blade rose higher into the air, the sunlight flashing red against its polished surface. All around him, his fellow officers lay, wounded or unconscious.  He certainly hoped that he would be the only casualty this day, if only for his friends' sakes. Damnit! How the hell were they supposed to deal with something like this?</p><p>And then the knife was descending, destined for his carotid artery. Daizo grimaced and looked awa-</p><p>"<em>WAAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAAA</em>!"</p><p>The cry sundered the air, drowning out the fires, explosions and anguished yells that dominated the scene. It was quickly followed by the sound of something hitting metal at high speed. The Lieutenant was so shocked, that he immediately swung his head in the direction of the massive racket. It was so unexpected, that even his captor turned to gawk, murder forgotten for the moment.</p><p>With eerie synchronization, they both gazed at the source of the sound, apparently one of the cars that was currently masquerading as a bonfire. He wondered what was happening for a fraction of a second, when -</p><p>A motorcycle <em>exploded</em>through the flames, flying through the air after ramping the wheeled inferno!</p><p>"<em>AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH</em>!" The bike's rider continued to scream, half in terror, half in panic, as the machine soared, trailing smoke and fire like a burning comet.</p><p>Daizo and his captor both stared with mute awe as the reckless daredevil clung to his ride... almost floating through the air in slow motion... right in their direction!</p><p>Then the machine finally slammed into the ground, a loud squeal of burning rubber. Damn! But that kid could dri-</p><p>Almost instantly after landing, the bike skidded wildly out of control! The front wheel swooped back and forth as the rider desperately tried to regain control... for about a second. Suddenly the machine skidded sideways, before slamming hard to the ground, slamming it's rider just as hard into the pavement. The machine hit hard enough to <em>bounce</em> over the painfully sliding form of the crazed youth, before it continued its own ear wracking slide, trailing a shower of sparks fit to set another three blazes.</p><p>Both him and the crimson man that held him, had about three halves of a second to consider this, before the machine suddenly slammed into the back of the red clad villain's legs, sending both of them flying! The last thing he perceived was the red man swinging him up and throwing him towards the remains of the bike's rider, even as the villain got caught by the machine and dragged, the gods only knew how far, in the other direction.</p><p>A second later, he was reintroduced to the (far too familiar by that point) concept of pain, as he crashed to the unforgiving pavement, yet again. He bounced and rolled for a good five feet, before finally sliding to a stop not too far from the red shirted boy that had just crashed and burned so spectacularly.</p><p>Well, he supposed, that was one way of dealing with the villain...</p><p>"Oh, gods, I wasn't even supposed to be on duty today...," he moaned pitifully. Slowly, and with great reluctance, he started to drag himself up into a sitting position. A good forty feet away, he noticed his crimson nemesis begin to do the same thing.</p><p>"What does it take to keep him down?" Not expecting an answer, he started to look around him for a fallen firearm, preferably one with a grenade launcher attached. In his short search, his eyes fell across the body of the boy that had just, inadvertently, saved his life.</p><p>Hmm, not responsive, likely didn't survive the crash. He had to have been going at least a hundred klicks when he spilled all over the place. Still, he had to make sure...</p><p>"Hey-“ A hacking cough interrupted his inquiry, “Hey, k-kid... you still alive?"</p><p>Amazingly, the kid responded! With a weak groan, the black-haired kid (What was with the pigtail?) rose to his hands and knees, gingerly rubbing the back of his head, apparently in mild discomfort. The teen then looked up and met his gaze, a confident smile on his face.</p><p>"Heh, don't worry 'bout me, I'm alright. Still a little woozy from the table, nothin I can't handle," assured the blue eyed youth. The young man then looked into the distance where his bike had finally stopped, a trail of scratched concrete leading the entire way. He then looked back at Daizo, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "Umm... I meant to do that..."</p><p>The Lieutenant growled slightly. "Meant to do that? You nearly killed me, ya crazy brat!"</p><p>The pigtailed boy seemed to consider that for a moment... "Okay then, I didn't mean to do that. Now, what the heck is goin on here, Grandpa? I'm here to help," he declared rather proudly.</p><p>Daizo grumbled a bit at the Grandpa comment. He quickly looked back to the villain, the guy was still pretty wobbly, he'd keep for a second. "Help? What the heck are you gonna do, kid? This isn't a game, that man down there is a dangerous criminal! Get out of here before you get hurt... more hurt."</p><p>If anything, the crazy kid's smile only widened, growing into a full blown cocky grin. Without any effort at all, the teen then rose to his feet... Hey! The kid hardly even looked hurt at all! Just a few scrapes here and there... but how the heck was that possible?</p><p>"The name's Saotome Ranma, Grandpa, and I ain't scared of no spandex wearin Power Ranger wannabe. You just hang back here and take it easy, I'll take this guy down for ya, no sweat," promised the self proclaimed Saotome confidently.</p><p>Wait just a second! Saotome... Ranma...? He <em>knew</em> that name... from... somewhere. He was certain, but where? He was a Shinjuku cop, so that was pretty much all that he studied up on, but that name rang a bell; hadn't there been a rumor floating across from the Nerima ward involving that?</p><p>Any further contemplations were cut off, as the pigtailed boy marched off to face the villain.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma grimaced slightly as he walked past the downed officer and started towards the armor wearing bad guy. He wasn't... <em>quite</em> as not hurt as he informed the old man, that had been a hell of a crash, after all. However, he wasn't too hurt, no worse than taking one or two hits from Ryouga anyway. Still, sore or not, he was pretty damn sure that he could handle the masked villain before him.</p><p>He watched as the bad guy finally regained his feet, studied his opponent's movements and started to analyze them without even needing to think about it. The guy moved like a fighter, that much was apparent, but the style the guy used seemed to elude him for the moment. The way he carried himself, it seemed familiar. Ah, well, he'd figure it out as soon as he saw the guy fight.</p><p>A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. So, here he was, finally with a super villain of his own and a decent one at that. This one guy had managed to lay up dozens of armed officers without even trying. That meant that armor was functional, which was good, 'cause it sure as hell wasn't fashionable. The guy was standing after getting smashed by a runaway motorcycle too, so he was pretty tough to boot. So, how did he go about this again?</p><p>In the name of the moon, I'll punish you?</p><p>Nah, not bloody likely!</p><p>Instead, he came to a stop a dozen feet away from his opponent. He then took a moment to take in all the destruction that the red clad figure had caused, all the people that he had injured. The Heir of the Saotome school then turned back to the villain, the glare he transfixed his enemy with was positively arctic.</p><p>"I don't know who the hell you are... and right now, I don't care. You've hurt a lot of good men, terrorized a lot of innocent people. Now, normally this is where I would make some cocky comment or fling some silly insult, but ya know what? After seeing all these people that you hurt, for <em>no</em> reason, I'm gonna skip the nice guy routine."</p><p>He lifted his hands and cracked his knuckles ominously, before dropping into a loose fighting stance.</p><p>"So, here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna kick your ass from one end of this street clear to the other... and there's exactly two things you're gonna do about it: Nothing and Like it."</p><p>Rather than appear at all intimidated, as Ranma figured the guy would, if he had any common sense at all, the red clad villain simply cocked it's head to the side in curiosity.</p><p>"Then, you are also a defender of this city?" he asked rather politely.</p><p>Hmm, not exactly what he was expecting. "Yer damn straight I am! I'm Saotome Ranma, Heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, and I ain't lettin you get away with... um... with whatever it is that you're doin here!" Hmm, not exactly his best work, but at least he got the point across.</p><p>His foe seemed to consider this for a moment, then bowed politely before him. "Greetings, defender of Tokyo. My name is Saico-Tek, and my master has commanded the destruction of all of this city's defenders." Saico-Tek then straightened up, only to drop down into a rather exaggerated martial arts stance. "May the gods have mercy upon you, for surely I have none."</p><p>Damnit! Ranma was about to curse about being out-bantered, when his opponent suddenly flew forward on the attack.</p><p>Literally flew, as the jetpack on his back burst to life! Red jets of flame shot from Saico-Tek's back as he skimmed above the ground on a crash course for the pigtailed martial artist. Even as he covered the distance, the armored villain pulled a pair of bladed throwing weapons from behind his back and threw them in Ranma's direction.</p><p>They spun blindingly through the air, madly whining saw blades intent on his disembowelment. Ranma nearly chuckled, having a flashback to his first real fight with Ryouga... except the Lost Boy had used nearly a dozen bandannas as a distraction and fired his umbrella through the mass. In comparison, two projectiles and a flying tackle were child's play.</p><p>Aw, hell! Except, if he just dodged, there were a ton of injured police standing right behind him!</p><p>Having wasted the fractions of a second that he'd had, a sudden panic filled him as his initial instinct rang instantly false. The two bladed weapons whirred unerringly at his face, their owner only a second behind at the most.</p><p>Once again, instinct proved more reliable than rational thought.</p><p>He lashed out with speed honed from his Amagurinken training, plucking both oversized throwing stars out of the air. Even as he did that, his body was already responding to the real threat, flipping him into a backwards somersault kick which connected with a bone jarring crunch to Saico-Tek's chin, sending the villain flying up into the air.</p><p>Ranma landed on his feet about six feet behind where he had been standing, a pair of the fat centered bladed weapons in his hands. He smiled widely as he watched the jet powered criminal crash to a roof top a half a block away. Apparently having a jetpack strapped to your back just made for more spectacular crashes.</p><p><em>Beep</em>.</p><p>Huh? Beep? What was that beeping sound?</p><p><em>Beep</em>.</p><p>There it was again! Idly, he looked down to his right hand.</p><p><em>Beep</em>.</p><p>Ah ha! It was the throwing weapon, the large red disc between the two shining blades flashed red with each beep as well. Funny though, the time between beeps was getting shorter...</p><p><em>Beep</em>.</p><p>"You <em>idiot</em>! That's a <em>bomb</em>, get rid of it!" The voice of the officer that he had saved rang from over his shoulder.</p><p><em>Beep</em>.</p><p>Oh, that would explain it-</p><p>Ah Crap!</p><p>Without another thought, he flung both of the explosive devices forward and turned to ru-</p><p>A massive double explosion of crimson fire blossomed just behind him, launching him through the air. He soared for thirty feet or so, before crashing to the ground; another ten feet of bouncing and skidding painfully on the pavement finally brought him to a complete stop. A little irately, he looked up to glare at the police officer that he was once again crumpled on the ground beside.</p><p>"...you couldn't have mentioned that, like, a second earlier, Grandpa?" he grumbled rather sourly.</p><p>"That's Lieutenant Uehara to you, Saotome. And I thought the beeping and flashing lights were rather obvious. Now, I don't know how you did... whatever it was you just did there, but it looks like you might be able to help me out here, so get up," ordered the gruff Lieutenant.</p><p>Ranma mumbled quietly to himself as he dragged himself to his feet. Might be able to help him? Sheesh, as if this cop guy was actually gonna do anything. His gun obviously didn't work on the guy and it was <em>painfully</em> obvious that the officer wasn't a fighter of any significance. Still, no need to antagonize the old guy, didn't wanna give him a heart attack or something like that.</p><p>"Just make sure ya stay outta my way, Lieutenant. I'm used to dealin with wackos like this guy," Ranma explained, pretty politely too, by his standards.</p><p>Lieutenant Uehara stared at him oddly for a moment, a slight look of recognition flashing across his face, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Rather than respond, the older man just grunted and gestured behind Ranma with his chin, even as he began to reload a pistol that he had picked up somewhere.</p><p>Ranma followed the gesture to the rooftop that he had sent Saico-Tek flying to. The villain was now standing on the building ledge, a pair of the explosive shuriken in each hand. The pigtailed martial artist groaned in annoyance. This guy was turning into a one trick pony.</p><p>Rather than wait for the frantic hassle of dodging and catching flying bombs, Ranma quickly ducked and scooped up a handful of marble sized pieces of rubble. A second later, he was running forward, faster than the proverbial bat out of hell.</p><p>Six cracks of thunder sounded behind him, each one resulting in a spark and slight shrug from the armored villain. Hmm, the old man was actually a pretty good shot, six for six from over half a block away, and with a handgun no less. Of course, the bullets didn't have any effect, but they distracted the crimson criminal, letting Ranma close the distance more easily. He chuckled easily to himself, maybe the Lieutenant wasn't so useless after all.</p><p>Still, it was inevitable that Saico-Tek would use his toys, and just as Ranma had expected, a barrage of discs started flying his way. Two – four – eight... Saico-Tek just kept grabbing the discs, almost out of thin air and hurling them as fast as he could. Hmm, Ranma wondered if this guy knew Mousse at all?</p><p>He was ready this time, he lifted his hand and fitted a stone between his thumb and forefinger. With a flick of his finger, the stone zinged through the air at twice the speed of sound. The pebble lanced straight through the first explosive disc, causing a small explosion in midair.</p><p>The blue eyed boy smiled wider. A second later, he was launching stones at a rate that would make most automatic weapons green with envy. Every tiny crack of thunder heralded the passage of a pebble, and every pebble met its mark. Soon the air between the two warriors was an apocalyptic war zone of crimson explosions.</p><p>Only to stop abruptly when Saico-Tek's head snapped back violently, a hyper accelerated stone bouncing off the gemstone embedded in his forehead.</p><p>Both Ranma and the Lieutenant took advantage of the momentary distraction. Uehara unloaded his weapon again, this time aiming high. Again, six bullets slammed into Saico-Tek's chest and face; already off balance, the villain toppled and fell back to the roof.</p><p>Ranma ran forward and leapt for all he was worth, landing on the roof that his opponent was on. He whirled around instantly, catching Saico-Tek before the villain even had a chance to properly regain his feet.</p><p>Vividly remembering just what a vicious bastard that the Headmaster had been, despite being only a decently skilled fighter, he didn't dare let his opponent finish recovering. He closed in with a devastating axe kick to the base of his Saico-Tek's neck, smashing the man back down into the roof and half embedding him into concrete. The red clad villain's face made an especially satisfying crunch as it buried itself into the unforgiving masonry.</p><p>Ranma smiled confidently. Okay, so maybe that <em>had</em> been a little vicious, but that took care of this guy. He stared down at the fallen warrior, his foot still resting on the back of the criminal's neck. The guy was completely out of it, face down in the rubble and laid out flat, the guy wasn't even moving a muscle-</p><p>His danger sense suddenly flared!</p><p>It probably saved his life as well, since he was already moving when the crimson swords swung up at him, literally appearing from nowhere. He leapt straight up, staring down in shock as both of Saico-Tek's arms swung backwards at impossible angles, trying to skewer him with a pair of four foot... they weren't really swords... more like bare blades that the criminal was somehow holding with his gloved hands.</p><p>And then Saico-Tek flipped over... except he didn't move to do it! Ranma's jaw dropped in astonishment, and he completely forgot where he was jumping to, as he watched the stomach twisting sight of Saico-Tek's face just... <em>flowing</em> around the side of his head and settle on the back of his skull. Suddenly, the villain's back was his front and he sat up without any of the difficulties that Ranma would have imagined of trying to basically bend one's spine backwards.</p><p>It was about then, that Ranma finally realized that, in his haste, his leap had completely overshot the edge of the roof. He panicked slightly, as he suddenly found himself hanging in the air over a seventy foot free fall, his own powerful leap taking him another two stories above the building he had just been on. He twisted in the air to watch Saico-Tek regain his feet. The villain than saluted him, smiling wickedly as he watched Ranma begin to fall.</p><p>Ranma smiled and waved back. He chuckled to himself, seventy feet wasn't too bad, sure it'd hurt his ankles like heck, but he'd be back on that roof in a secon-</p><p>His smile died rather gruesomely, as Saico-Tek pulled out a double fan of explosive discs, four on each hand. The villain smiled wider as he looked down to the ground below. Ranma felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he glanced down to where his opponent was staring.</p><p>Then, Saico-Tek reared back and threw all the weapons at once, straight down at the ground below...</p><p>Right where he was going to land!</p><p>Just as Ranma reached roof height once more in his decent, Saico-Tek waved coldly again, then flew off in the other direction, an explosion of red jet exhaust trailing the villain's departure.</p><p>Not that Ranma had time to worry about that!</p><p>The sound of metal digging into stone sounded eight times, as the eight bombs landed in a perfect circle, surrounding the exact location in the street that Ranma was going to land in maybe a second or two himself. Then, as one, the eight explosives began to flare and beep merrily, seemingly eager for his arrival.</p><p>Well... that certainly sucked. He knew everything that there was about mid air combat, every trick and technique that one could use to steal that extra second of hang time when battling in the air. Unfortunately most of those techniques required an opponent to work off of. And, really, as much as he loved to cheat gravity, she was a harsh mistress and always reclaimed what was hers in the end. Once you were falling there really wasn't anything else you could do-</p><p>Only four stories remained now, his perception of time stretching towards infinity as he struggled desperately to figure out something, anything that he could do to alter his trajectory... The Mouko Takabisha – No, too much set up! A lifetime of training had allowed him to raise his focus to a thing almost beyond human comprehension, granting him reflexes that were near precognition to normal people, but no matter how he battered the flow of time, slowed it to a crawl, the one undeniable fact was, that time always traveled forward, inexorably, and inevitably.</p><p>Three stories. He very nearly willed time to stop completely in his mind, tried to bend the very laws of time and space to his will as he channeled completely on the single act of finding a solution to his rather dire situation. He drifted down another foot, a veritable feather on the wind... but as slow as his fall now was, it was still progress.</p><p>The bombs blinked again, what was just a flash of light before seemed to linger for minutes to his accelerated perceptions. Well, on the bright side, he was fairly sure that he could survive the blast, even eight of them, if he positioned himself perfectly and channeled every ounce of his ki into preserving his life.</p><p>On the not so bright side, the next second and a half of his life were probably going to be some of the most painful of said life. Hell, he'd be lucky if he got out of the hospital in a mon-</p><p>A crack of thunder split the air!</p><p>The distraction was enough to knock him completely out of his heightened state of awareness. Suddenly time tore forward hungrily, as if making up for lost time. He fell another ten feet in the next fraction of a seco-</p><p>Pain!</p><p>Suddenly he was spinning, as something tiny, boiling hot and blindingly fast just grazed his right shoulder, metallic fragments skittering over his flesh. The pain almost distracted him, but -</p><p>That was it! He swung his arms with all his might, adding every iota of inertia and momentum to the tiny push that the bullet had given him. Suddenly he was angling towards the building, not much, but enough so that he would land outside the circle of explosives. The added energy also gave him a tiny bit of extra speed.</p><p>He landed a fraction of a second later, three feet away from the closest bomb. It beeped once, then he could almost <em>hear</em> the electric whine of the bomb priming itself to explode. He leapt then, as soon as his toes touched the pavement. Launched himself towards the building. He flew straight and true, angled himself into a human arrow, aiming directly at a window on the first story.</p><p>A fraction of a second after <em>that</em> the bombs exploded!</p><p>He rode the wave of the explosion, smashed through the window just as the blast collided with the wall with enough force to dislodge half of the brick work. A flash of flame and heat followed him through the aperture, but he rolled under it and slid under a table near the center of the room. The angry tongue of flame flew over his head, eagerly consuming whatever the heck had been on the table a second earlier...</p><p>And then it was done.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Daizo carefully lowered his (well, it wasn't actually his, but he didn't feel like finding his in all that mess) revolver to side. The flames from the explosion were finally dying away, revealing a tiny patch of hell on earth, right at ground zero of the explosion. He had no idea if the kid had survived or not. The last thing he had seen, was Saotome land, just on the far side of the bombs. Everything after that had been a hell storm of sound and fury, likely signifying nothing left to ID the corpse.</p><p>Come to think of it... he had absolutely no idea what he <em>hell</em> he had been thinking there. Shooting the kid in the arm? That had to be the craziest thing that he'd ever thought of, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.</p><p>A flash of movement caught his attention, someone climbing out of a window of the building beyond the explosion.</p><p>"Heh, so he actually survived. That kid's made of sterner stuff than I thought," he said to himself, not really taking the time to notice the rather worrying fact that he was talking to himself.</p><p>Not really feeling up to actually moving any more than necessary, Daizo started to reload his revolver once more, before holstering it. It was a slow process now that the adrenaline was starting to leave his system, leaving his system in a great amount of pain. A few moments later, the red shirted boy stumbled across the ruined street, coming to a stop about five feet away from him.</p><p>Saotome glared at him heatedly, tightly clutching his bruising shoulder with his hand. "You – You <em>shot</em> me!" the incredulous boy barked.</p><p>Well, he supposed that he could tell the kid what had been running through his mind at the actual second that he had come to <em>that</em> particular decision... but, then he did have a bit of a gruff reputation to protect. So instead, he simply shrugged.</p><p>"Worked, didn't it?"</p><p>Saotome stared at him for a moment, his jaw slowly working up and down as he tried to process that statement. A moment later, a weak smile formed on the boy's face and he actually began to laugh.</p><p>"Heh.  Yeah, I guess it did at that. Man! I gotta say, Lieutenant, you are a <em>damn</em> good shot with that thing." The young man gestured to his revolver, a look of weary respect actually forming on his features. "I mean, that must have been a one in a million shot, trying to tag my arm like that."</p><p>He simply nodded, smiling with great humility. Sure, why not... no need to tell the kid that he had been aiming for center mass and just prayed that he didn't hit anything vital. No need for the kid to know just how close he had come to missing either.</p><p>"You did good there, Saotome. A little wild, a little rough around the edges, but you did what an entire squad of police officers couldn't," he offered respectfully. The young man preened at his praise. The pig tailed boy then made his way over to his fallen bike and lifted it up to its wheels once more.</p><p>"Well, I got a little bit of experience at this super villain thing. This is my first real solo attempt though. I know I'll do better next time though, Saotome Ranma don't lose, that's just the way it is," boasted the young man proudly.</p><p>Daizo shook his head. Running faster than the eye could see, leaping small buildings in a single bound, firing stones like bullets.  Where normally he would be highly skeptical of anyone making such a boast, in this case, he found himself believing it. Still...</p><p>"I don't suppose you have a license for that Motorcycle, do you, Saotome?" He gestured towards the bike with a nod of his head.</p><p>Saotome looked back at him, a sudden look of panic on his face. "Um... license?" he asked, rather uncertainly.</p><p>Daizo nearly smiled at that. Sometimes it was just too easy. He took a few steps forward to stand right before the young man.</p><p>"I thought as much, considering that wipe out, and the way you were screaming like a girl while you were driving," he chuckled lightly at his statement.</p><p>The blue eyed martial artist sputtered angrily. "Hey! I wasn't screamin like no girl! I'm a guy, damnit!"</p><p>He looked at the kid strangely for a moment. "...I never said you weren't, Saotome." At that, he pulled a card from one of his pockets and handed it to the young man. It was a little folded and singed, but still good.</p><p>"Look, you can't ride a vehicle like this without a license. So I want you to give me a call tomorrow and come by the police station. I'll enroll you in our defensive driving course, and we can see about figuring out how to best utilize your abilities to help us capture this new criminal. This, Saico-Tek."</p><p>Saotome looked at him a bit oddly for a moment. "You mean... you actually want me to work with you? But I thought I was s'posed to do this crime fighting thing on my own. You know, all vigilante style?" he asked, slightly confused.</p><p>Daizo rolled his eyes and poked the kid between the eyes. "Vigilantism is illegal in Japan. So, either you help us out, or you go to jail. Besides, why on earth would you want to do something like this on your own, it just makes sense for us to work together. You get access to our resources and we get access to someone that actually has the skills to fight someone like that on even footing. What do you say, Saotome?"</p><p>The young man mulled it over for a minute, before suddenly smiling widely. The martial artist then stuck out his hand. Daizo quickly reached out and clasped his wrist, just as Saotome grasped his. "You got a deal, Lieutenant. With your guys tracking these bad guys down, and my amazing martial arts skills, we'll have this town cleaned up in no time."</p><p>The Lieutenant nodded, shaking hands with his new partner firmly. "Good to have you aboard, Saotome. Now, you better head home and get your injuries looked after. I expect to see you as soon as school lets out tomorrow, young man."</p><p>Saotome smiled widely at that, then nodded in agreement. "Sounds good, Lieutenant. Before I go though..."</p><p>"Tell me more about this <em>defensive </em>driving course."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun stared down at his minion, genuinely torn on how to deal with the news he had just received. Saico-Tek, whom he had sent out to begin systematically destroying the police force which protected Tokyo, had just returned... apparently in defeat!</p><p>One part of him, that inhuman voice that prowled the edges of his mind, very much like a tiger that has tasted human blood, howled for his minion's destruction. The idea of allowing a failure to continue its existence seemed offensive to this dark, cruel part of him. It would be easy too, terribly easy, just a single thought and Saico-Tek would melt back into a puddle of colored ink.</p><p>But... but another part of him, the part that read comic books, the part of him that loved to draw heroes and villains and their adventures... That part of him was intrigued. Saico-Tek <em>hadn't</em> really failed in his mission... had he? The ink-demon minion had drawn out an entire Police Station, as well as all the surrounding Police Boxes for several blocks, had driven them all to the brink of utter annihilation.</p><p>Until <em>he</em> had arrived! Saotome... Ranma... The name sent a tingle down the liquid and paper mockery that was once his spine. Not just a defender of Tokyo, but an actual <em>hero</em>! Someone that had the strength and skill to battle his minion where dozens of others couldn't even defend themselves. It was... it was <em>perfect</em>!</p><p>He was a powerful villain, a demon of pure creation and hatred. Wiping out humanity was no great challenge for someone of his unlimited power. But this Saotome... he was different, he was powerful as well.</p><p>Didn't every great villain require a great hero to battle? Wouldn't his victory be just that much more meaningful when he finally crushed his new nemesis in a final battle, at a time and a place of his own choosing?</p><p>An insane giggle escaped his lips. If he hadn't paper for skin, he would swear he'd be getting goose bumps. He turned back to face his loyal minion. "Saico-Tek... tell me everything that you have learned... "</p><p>"About Saotome Ranma..."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma sullenly wheeled his R-Cycle into the Tendo's backyard. The trip back home had been rather uneventful, but it did give him a lot of time to think about a topic that had completely slipped his mind in the heat of the battle. It was a most disheartening problem, and something that he wasn't sure that he could deal with now. Still overwhelmed with sullen... ness, he parked his machine in its usual spot and gingerly ran a hand across the metallic shell of the gas tank.</p><p>A pained sob nearly escaped his lips...</p><p>The paint job was <em>totally</em> ruined!</p><p>His hand carefully glided across the marred and scarred surface of the machine, flaking off pieces of paint as it went. The one side, it wasn't too bad, a few scratches and a dent from when it had bounced over him. The other side, though... well, a forty-foot skid across pavement left a nasty reminder. The entire side was scratched and gouged to hell.</p><p>There was absolutely <em>no</em> way that he could afford to get all this damage fixed. And even worse... how could he bear to be seen riding to the rescue on a roughed-up bike like this? It was certain to send the wrong signal to his potential... being-saved people. They – they might think that he <em>wasn't</em> competent!</p><p>With a loud sigh, he dropped to his knees before his mightily abused bike. Almost absently, he started searching for any damage that might be more than just cosmetic. He hadn't noticed anything funny on his drive, but then, he wasn't really used to it enough to know if there was anything wrong like that-</p><p>"Ahh, Ranma. You're finally back." Akane's voice.</p><p>He looked up from his machine to his fiancée, currently standing on the back porch. He frowned slightly at the small smile that graced her lips for some reason.</p><p>"What? That's it? I go driving off into the night to do, the gods only know what, and I don't even get so much as a, 'Are you alright?'" he grumbled.</p><p>Rather than react to his weak barb, the young woman simply rolled her eyes, smiling wider. "Oh, Ranma, I knew you would be perfectly fine."</p><p>The pigtailed martial artist swelled with pride at that. Finally, his fiancée was giving him the credit he deserved. After all, she knew that he never los-</p><p>"I mean, your fight was on the television, so I saw that you were alright at the end."</p><p>Ranma's ego did its best impression of a deflating balloon.</p><p>If she noticed, Akane didn't show it. "That was a silly thing to do, though, trying to jump over that car like that. I almost thought that you broke your neck when you crashed like you did," she stated, actually sounding faintly concerned.</p><p>It was his turn to roll his eyes, as if something like that would kill him - Wait a sec!</p><p>"Hold up there, Akane! My fight was on the TV?" he barked in surprise.</p><p>Akane's cute grin grew wider and a mischievous twinkle entered her eyes. "Um, yeah. You left the TV on that channel when you ran off. You didn't think that that cameraman stopped recording just because you stopped watching, did you?"</p><p>Argh, she didn't have to sound so smug about it! So, he hadn't thought of that, it wasn't like it mattered. "Yeah, well, I saved the day, didn't I?" he muttered crossly.</p><p>Akane seemed to be enjoying her verbal high ground just a bit much but relented at that. Instead, she hopped down from the porch and moved up to stand beside him. He looked down at her, not quite trusting her motives. She still had that cute smile on her face and was staring at him in a distracting manner. As discreetly as he could, he tried to look around her to see if she had one of those damned mallets behind her back...</p><p>When suddenly the blue haired girl leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace!</p><p>His mind completely shut down for a fraction of a second and his body went totally unresponsive. What was goin o-</p><p>"I am <em>so</em> proud of you, Ranma," whispered the beautiful young woman that was currently rendering his mind into putty.</p><p>He battled through the confusing array of pleasant sensations that started to overwhelm him. A little desperately, he raised a hand to ruffle the hair at the back of his head, chuckling weakly. "Uh, heh, it's no big deal, 'Kane. Just another fight, ya know? I mean, I didn't even really beat the guy..." Huh? What was he doing? Since when did he <em>play down</em> his accomplishments?</p><p>For that matter, since when was Akane so nice to him?</p><p>As if in answer to his unasked question, Akane looked up to catch his eyes once more. "This wasn't just another of your fights with Kunou or Mousse, Ranma. You saved all those Police officers. If you hadn't shown up when you did, that policeman that you helped would have <em>died</em>."</p><p>Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. Hmm, maybe this hero stuff had some benefits after all. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around the girl before him. "Well, I guess I was pretty awesome back there... even if I didn't actually win the fight..."</p><p>Akane's giggle rang through the yard. "Dummy. I'm sure you'll get him next time." Slowly, regretfully, she finally disentangled herself from him and pushed herself to arms length. "You did a wonderful thing tonight, Ranma, don't ever forget that."</p><p>He smiled widely, his ego swelling in a way that simply beating a tough opponent never caused. Maybe he wasn't getting paid to be a hero, and maybe he wasn't getting as much training out of it as he would like, but Akane's quiet praise seemed to have a subtle charm that seemed to make it all worth it.</p><p>His train of thought was derailed though, as Akane suddenly started straightening out his shirt, looking at him with a critical eye. She then reached up and swiped some errant dust from his shoulder, clucking disapprovingly. He stared back at her oddly.</p><p>"What the heck are ya doin?" he asked.</p><p>Akane continued her inspection for another moment before answering. "Hmm, this won't do at all. We'll have to find you something nicer to wear for tomorrow. We don't want you looking shabby, do we?" she replied cryptically.</p><p>His confused stare only intensified. "Huh? Looking shabby for what?"</p><p>Again, his fiancée's eyes rolled in amusement. "For your driving lessons, silly. You want to look your best for your first day, don't you?" she asked, only slightly patronizingly.</p><p>"Wait a second! How the heck did you know about that?"</p><p>Another rolling of the eyes. "Televised, remember?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah... Well, I guess there's always my white shirt...," he added, somewhat distracted.</p><p>Akane nodded, maybe in agreement, or maybe she was already formulating her own ideas in her head and was completely ignoring him. Who could tell with girls? The young woman then turned and started heading into the house. Then, almost as an after thought, she suddenly turned to look back at him over her shoulder, a happy laugh escaping her perfect lips.</p><p>"I still can't believe you jumped off the roof like that," she teased mercilessly.</p><p>He sputtered angrily for a moment. "S-shut up! The guy practically turned <em>inside-out</em>, anyone woulda been freaked out by that!"</p><p>Akane turned to face the house again, vainly trying to hide the smile on her face no doubt. "Sure, sure," she replied in a most unconvincing tone.</p><p>There was only one comeback that he had left at that point.</p><p>"You are <em>so</em> uncute!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The next day went by at a mind-blurring pace for one, Lieutenant Uehara Daizo. He had spent the night with the rather grim duty of assisting the emergency crews in transporting all his wounded compatriots to the hospital. Then he had spent the entire morning in the coma inducing process of filing his report. The entire afternoon... his afternoon had been an exercise in the exquisite torture that is being debriefed by superior after superior after superior. And to top it off, he had spent his entire evening trying to teach that Saotome kid to drive.</p><p>Frankly, Daizo was ready to find a nice dark hole to curl up in and die. Absently, he waved to the retreating form of his newest partner in crime... fighting, as the boy pulled out of the Station's parking lot.</p><p>At least the kid wasn't totally hopeless. Saotome <em>could</em> drive, great balance, amazing control... he was just so damned cocky! Every time that he tried to show the kid the basics, Saotome would go off and try to do some para-natural stunt that most pros would balk at. The pigtailed kid was a born daredevil, that was for sure, but hey: it hadn't gotten him killed yet.</p><p>Ah well, that was one more thing out of the way for today. That thought in mind, he let out a weary sigh before he decided to make the long trek back to his desk. Maybe he was getting too old for this? Heck, maybe he was just too sane for this? Flying, bulletproof criminals straight out of a bad manga? Roof hopping Martial artists right out of a bad movie? What was next: Ancient demons from beyond the veil?</p><p>Grumbling weakly, he shoved through the Station's main entrance, noticing the eerie silence that greeted him. Normally, the bustle and commotion that filled the place would have grated on his nerves already, but now its absence was a grim reminder of his injured friends. There had been over a hundred officers at that fight yesterday. Nearly half of them were in critical condition. Another twenty or so were admitted with only minor injuries, but still enough to warrant a few nights of observation.</p><p>That meant that his Station and all the Police Boxes that it supported were woefully undermanned. And <em>that</em> meant that he likely wouldn't be getting home anytime soon that night. The outflow of concern from the public had been heartwarming but didn't change the fact that a lot of officers for this tiny region of Tokyo were out of commission.</p><p>Even worse, he got the distinct impression that he was being railroaded into taking charge of the entire case, being the senior most officer still mobile that was present, and the fact that it had been him that had made contact with Saotome. Of course, any young up-and-comer would have been thrilled at that prospect. It was a career making case after all. Unfortunately, he was just experienced enough to know that if he screwed this up, it could be a career ending case as well.</p><p>After some tired trudging, he finally found his desk and dropped down into it, letting out another tired groan. Wait a moment... Something was out of place; his sixth sense was very nearly screaming at him. He shot up in his seat, scanning his desk intently... Ah ha! A slightly crumpled piece of paper sitting on the corner of his desk!</p><p>"Damnit! Which one of you bastards ate my Adzuki Roll!" he shouted angrily. There were only three other officers seated at their desks around him. Misato, the rather attractive, if slightly outspoken officer in the traffic department. She immediately waved happily, while laughing at his predicament. A few desks over was Suzahara, one of the few detectives still on duty. Suzahara just shrugged, before pointing over to the remaining officer-</p><p>"<em>KANEDA</em>! I swear! If you aren't out that door getting me another one, your sorry ass is gonna be the first one I draft into tracking down this superfreak! You hear me?" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. The young, dark haired homicide officer was already out the door in the time that it had taken him to go from yelling 'draft' to 'superfreak'</p><p>Well, at least rank had <em>some</em> advantages. So, where had he been? Oh, yes...</p><p>So, undermanned, outgunned and with only a total wildcard of a martial artist on his side, yeah, he wasn't exactly feeling overjoyed at the moment. Still, at least he’d had the quick idea to plant a few suggestions in his new ward's mind.</p><p>He turned to his computer and pressed the power button, maybe just a little harder than necessary. Not his fault the damn thing was so temperamental; if life had taught him anything, it was that a swift smack upside the head tended to get things working in short order. Now, maybe it was about time to finally find out a little more about his mysterious new ally.</p><p>Mysterious being used in the loosest possible sense here. The kid had given him his name, for crying out loud.</p><p>A few quick keystrokes and soon the computer started to whine angrily in its mad search for relevant information. It only took a few moments... but what he found shocked him.</p><p>"Huh? What's up with that?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma enjoyed the cool night air as he flew down the highway. He would have enjoyed the feel of the wind rushing through his hair even more, he bet, but the Lieutenant had been pretty uptight about him <em>actually</em> wearing the helmet that Robin had sent him. As if he needed the thing, but what can ya do?</p><p>He was disappointed as well. He had been so excited about the prospect of defensive driving, but all it seemed to encompass was driving in a careful and responsible manner. How was he supposed to have awesome high-speed battles on the back of his bike if he followed all those rules? At least the Lieutenant seemed to be a decent guy, a bit gruff and surly, but a decent guy. He even had a good suggestion... well, good for the Lieutenant anyway. It was a suggestion that was going to bring Ranma himself no end of headaches, he was certain of that.</p><p>Well, he might as well get two of the headaches out of the way before he went back to the dojo, then he could deal with the third headache. That in mind, he took the nearest off-ramp into Nerima and made his way to a familiar restaurant.</p><p>It only took a few minutes of ducking and weaving through the traffic to arrive at his destination. He chuckled quietly to himself, the Lieutenant was right about one thing at least: when he wasn't trying to do anything really fancy, this driving thing wasn't really that hard at all. Squeezing down on the brakes, a squeal of burning rubber slid him neatly into one of the parking spots in front of his destination:</p><p>The Nekohanten.</p><p>He kicked out the kickstand and killed the engine, then removed his helmet with a flourish. He then took a moment to muss with his hair, trying to battle the onset of the dreaded helmet head. Finally satisfied with his efforts, he dropped his helmet onto the seat and strode purposefully into the restaurant-</p><p>Or tried to, at least... The door was closed. That seemed odd, not to mention none of the interior lights were on either. A bit confused, he tried the handle, rattling the door back and forth as he tested the lock. And locked it was...</p><p>What was goin on here?</p><p>There was no way Cologne would close the restaurant during the dinner rush like this. Sure, he hadn't seen the old Ghoul since he'd gotten back, but Raven had said she'd departed from America a while ago. She must have gotten back by now. And even if she hadn't gotten back, where were Shampoo and Mousse? If they were playing hooky, Cologne would kill them, great granddaughter or not.</p><p>Slightly more confused, he hopped up to the second floor and tested the window that he knew led into Shampoo's room. It slid open easily, which wasn't really that surprising. Someone as confident and skilled as the violet haired Joketsuzoku didn't need to worry about anyone trying to take advantage of her. And living in the same building as Cologne pretty must insured that no one would be foolhardy enough to try to break in.</p><p>Present company excluded, of course.</p><p>Hmm, the room was darkened as well and nearly empty to boot. Not just the empty of someone that didn't have many material possessions in their life, like his room... heck, probably like all his friends' rooms, really. It was the empty of someone that didn't have many material possessions, and they had packed said possessions into a box and left with them.</p><p>There weren't any clothes in the closet, no jewelry on the dressers, no weapons on the walls. The last one was the most telling, clothes come and go (especially on Shampoo), but she didn't go <em>anywhere</em> without her weapons.</p><p>A quick search through he rest of the Nekohanten revealed much more of the same. Mousse's room wasn't just abandoned, it was completely bare. The duck cursed boy had even taken his <em>bed</em> with him. Cologne's room was locked, but he highly doubted that she left any of her dangerous or mystical items behind.</p><p>Now a bit worried, he absently wandered into the dining area and sat down. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Shampoo or Mousse since before his first trip into the city. He hadn't really given it much thought at the time; everything had been hectic for him. It was obvious that they had upped and left, but to where? And why hadn't they even said goodbye? It seemed unlikely that they were leaving for good, after all, there wasn't a 'for sale' sign or anything, and there was still a lot of personal stuff around the building.</p><p>Frankly, he wasn't sure if this was good news or bad news... On the plus side, the continued absence of Shampoo would mean the continued absence of the worst of Akane's temper. He had <em>really</em> been enjoying that particular absence. On the downside, that meant that he couldn't get them to help with the whole superhero thing, like the Lieutenant had suggested.</p><p>It had made sense; that Saico-Tek guy had left a lot of good cops out of commission, so bringing in a few extra people to help with the law enforcement stuff couldn't hurt. Well, couldn't hurt anyone but Ranma, anyway. Still, this did leave him in a bit of a lurch... who else was even around for him to ask to help? Ryouga was obviously out. Same went for Kunou and Ukyou. Kodachi was <em>way</em> out, even if he had known where she was. He would have felt bad, if he weren’t just so damned relieved that the younger Kunou sibling hadn't returned from America yet.</p><p>Heck, even Cologne and Happosai were still missing. Not that Happosai would ever be on the <em>right</em> side of the law. He snorted derisively at the very thought of the old lecher doing something worthwhile with his time.</p><p>So, who did that leave him with? Who else was competent in this crazy town? Dr. Tofu... but he was already busy helping people. Miss Hinako... they'd worked together before, but she was busy too. Mikado and Azusa were both half decent... of course, he'd rather tie himself up and throw <em>himself</em> into a pit of cats before he ever even dreamed of working with those two.</p><p>Sheesh! No wonder Ryouga was catching up to him skill wise, there was <em>no one</em> in this town even close to his level anymore. Man, that was a strangely depressing thought. What had happened to the crazy, chaotic suburb that was the Nerima district?</p><p>Well, there really wasn't much for him to do here then. He had no idea where Shampoo had gotten to, but it was a mystery that he could worry about later. After all, if anyone could take care of themselves, it was her. On that note, he decided to -</p><p>Wait a sec! Konatsu! That guy was good, Ranma was sure that he'd be able to help.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"No!"</p><p>"Aww, c'mon, Konatsu! We really need your help here, there's a super villain guy wanderin around Shinjuku, and the quicker we take him down, the better for everyone," he pleaded desperately.</p><p>Konatsu actually glared at him, which seemed to be a bit out of character for the usually extremely polite and personable Kunoichi. Come to think of it, Konatsu was looking a bit frazzled, what with mixing a bowl of batter with one hand, taking money from a customer with his other hand and flipping over three okonomiyaki with a spatula wedged firmly between his toes.</p><p>"Well, Saotome, I'm afraid that I've got problems of my own," the pretty boy suddenly turned to a new customer, all smiles and cuteness. "May I take your order?"</p><p>The customer prattled off his order before taking a number and going to find a seat. As soon as the boy's back was turned, Konatsu turned back to him, a heated look on the ninja's face. "Elder Cologne never came back to help me like Ukyou said she would. I've been trying to keep the restaurant going by myself ever since I got back."</p><p>Ranma fought the urge to shrug, so what? Ukyou did that all the time! If one girl could run a successful business like that by herself, then how hard could it really be for a guy?</p><p>"Sheesh, Konatsu," he chided with a careless shrug. "If you're havin such a hard time, why don't ya just call her and ask for some help?"</p><p>The look of shock on the ninja's face was almost comical. He let out a loud gasp at his suggestion. "And let Miss Ukyou think that I've failed her? That I wasn't able to do this one task that she set before me!" he sounded positively scandalized at the very notion.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Mr. Ranma, but you'll have to find someone else to help you."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane knelt at the dining room table going over her night's homework, absently picking away at Ranma's waiting dinner as she did. As much as she hated to admit it, Mr. Saotome could cook well, and the dumplings he'd made were <em>really </em>tasty... maybe just a little too tasty to let go to waste on her fiancé's cooling plate.</p><p>Smiling sneakily, she snagged another dumpling from his plate before turning her attention back to the work before her. It wasn't like she was waiting up for the guy or anything... though, he was running a bit late. He'd said that he'd help her with her homework (more likely vice versa) after he finished his lesson, but at this rate, she'd be done before he even got back. The homework and his dinner, both.</p><p>If it weren't for the fact that he'd been behaving himself so well lately, and the fact that almost all the people that she got jealous of had just upped and left town, she'd be a little suspicious. Besides, it was hard to get angry at a person when so many of his friends just moved away. If he felt even half as bad as she did from missing Kasumi and Nabiki, then she imagined that he was probably still pretty upset about it; just hiding it like he did everything else.</p><p>Honestly, he was so macho.</p><p>She had to admit, though, that she was missing Ukyou and Ryouga a bit herself. Maybe even Kunou, just a tiny, <em>tiny</em> bit. Ever since they had rescued him, he had been acting halfway normal. She giggled quietly to herself, if only she could get Shampoo to go join some international superhero group now. Though, come to think of it, the violet haired bimbo hadn't been pulling any of her usual antics for a while now. Not that she would ever mention something like that to Ranma; knowing him, he'd run right over to see if anything was wrong.</p><p>She let out a small sigh of contentment as another dumpling joined its hapless kin in her tummy.</p><p>The (by now) familiar thrum of an engine slowly wormed its way into her ear. A split second of indecision wracked her... did she finish off the dumplings quickly, or leave some for her tardy fiancé? She eyed the tempting appetizers longingly, before compassion finally won out. Fine, she'd let Ranma have them. She was such a great friend, really.</p><p>A few moments later, the stormy eyed martial artist walked through the door. Her cheerful smile died slightly at the troubled look that graced the boy's face. Maybe his lesson hadn't gone very well.</p><p>"You're a little late, Ranma. Did anything go wrong with your lesson today?" she asked in a concerned voice.</p><p>Her voice seemed to snap him out of whatever mood he was in. Immediately his head snapped up and the troubled look evaporated. He matched her gaze and met her with his usual cocky grin. "Heh, naw, it went great. Lieutenant Uehara says I'm a genius when I'm not bein stupid," he replied with great amusement.</p><p>She giggled quietly, that seemed to sum things up nicely. "Sounds like you should try it more often. So, what took you then?"</p><p>He chuckled quietly himself, before waving off her concerns. "Oh, I just went over to the Nekohanten to see Shampoo," he replied as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.</p><p>Akane's left eye twitched.</p><p>"You did <em>what</em>?" she asked in a deceptively calm voice. Her arm began to slide casually behind her back.</p><p>As usual, her <em>fiancé</em> was totally oblivious to the coming storm. Instead, he spotted the remains of his dinner and hastily scooted over to sit at the table, foolishly bringing himself straight into ground zero. She almost felt the sensation of polished wood against her fingertips, when:</p><p>"Yeah, Lieutenant Uehara wanted me to ask anyone else that was good enough if they wanted to help out," he replied, still in his casual voice.</p><p>Her eyes widened in surprise, instantly the familiar handle she had been about to grasp vanished without a trace. Still unawares, Ranma stared critically at his plate, nudging at the dumplings with his chopsticks.</p><p>"Dumb old Panda, didn't make nearly enough to feed everyone," he muttered to himself. He then turned back to her. "After all, a lot of cops are outta commission, so he figured a few extra hands could help out with that. You aren't gonna believe what I found at the Nekohanten though."</p><p>Oh, there was that handle again. "What was that?" she asked rather sweetly.</p><p>"Nuthin! There wasn't no one there, Akane. The whole place was closed. I even slipped in, but everyone was gone, packed and gone for that matter," he explained excitedly.</p><p>"Really?" she asked, perhaps a little more cheerfully than strictly necessary.</p><p>He nodded, absently nudging the dumplings off to one side of his plate. "Yeah, judgin by the dust and stuff, I'd say they've been gone for nearly a week, too. I'm kinda surprised that they were missing for so long and we didn't notice."</p><p>Well, she wasn't. As far as she was concerned, the Amazons were out of sight, out of mind with her. She was a little worried that he might pick up on her good mood at the good news though, so she decided to change the subject.</p><p>"So, who else is there to help you out then?"</p><p>He shrugged, looking a bit annoyed. "Apparently no one in Nerima. I tried Konatsu too, but he was too busy. Pretty much the only person I haven't asked yet is you." Suddenly his face split into a wide grin. "So, whadya say, Akane, you up for saving the city from masked madmen? The dynamic duo, Kung Fu Guy and Mallet Girl?"</p><p>For <em>that</em> comment, she reunited head and mallet; he had just been asking for that one. She put her mallet away as she watched him gingerly rub the tiny bump forming on his forehead. Then... then she actually considered his request.</p><p>It wasn't like she hadn't been thinking about it, thinking about it <em>a lot</em> lately. And it was for that reason, that she already had her answer.</p><p>"I... don't think I can do that, Ranma," she answered quietly. She knew this would likely hurt him, even if only a little bit.</p><p>Indeed, he looked back at her, a look nine-tenths incomprehension and one-tenth rejection on his face. "W-what? But what about all your 'I'm a martial artist, too!' talk? Usually, I can't drag you away from a fight, what's up with that?"</p><p>She nodded slowly. "I <em>am</em> a martial artist and whenever anyone threatens me, or challenges our school, I'll be the first one to punch their lights out," she started seriously. "But this isn't about getting into fights every once in awhile, this is about a way of life. Robin, Starfire, and all the Titans, all they <em>do</em> is save people. They don't go to school, they don't have jobs, heck, they practically live in their uniforms, just waiting for the next emergency."</p><p>She looked at him seriously, willing him to understand. "I may be a martial artist, but I'm also a normal girl. I want to go to school, I want to have friends and I eventually want to have a career, maybe even..." She felt her cheeks burn as he continued to stare at him. "... a family."</p><p>At that, his face went beet red and he instantly found his dinner to be the most fascinating thing in the world. "U-um... um, yeah... I guess those are things that... you might want... someday..."</p><p>Akane smiled weakly at that. "My point is that I don't think that I can devote my life to being a hero. But I think that you can. I mean, if you keep helping the police like this, and after you finish high school, I bet you'd have a great chance to join the police force yourself. Think about it, it would be perfect for you. You'd be able to keep practicing your art, you'd be helping people and you'd have a respectable career," she explained optimistically.</p><p>He nodded absently, from the look on his face she could practically see him imagining himself as a police officer. Officer Saotome, she giggled at the thought herself. Suddenly he snapped back to reality, smiling widely. "Hey! You could do that, too, ya know."</p><p>The blue haired girl shook her head wryly. "Sorry, but I don't think that directing traffic would be quite as fulfilling for me. Besides, I think two Tendo sisters being swept up into all that superhero and super villain nonsense is quite enough, don't you?" she asked playfully.</p><p>Except his reaction was anything but playful! Suddenly his stare bore into her like a pair of arctic blue drills. The look on his face was complete shock and then he jumped to his feet, walking towards the hallway. Almost instantly, his expression melted from shock to a cocky, self satisfied smirk that instantly made her start worrying.</p><p>"What are you doing?" she asked more than curiously.</p><p>He turned back to her, his smirk blooming into a full-blown smile. "Heh, inspiration strikes. Gotta go make a phone call, I'll be back in a minute."</p><p>Then, true to his word, he vanished for a few minutes, apparently making a phone call. When he finally returned, he dropped to the table once more, still smiling like the cat that ate the canary. She looked at him suspiciously.</p><p>"What was that all about?"</p><p>"Oh... nothing important, really. Hmm, man, why did the Old man make these dumplings, he knows that I hate'em," replied the boy. Ranma then turned his plate and slid it a little closer to her. "Hey, you want my dumplings? I can't stand em."</p><p>Still a little shell-shocked about the whole thing, she nodded absently and grabbed one of the morsels.</p><p>"So, what are you going to do about that bad guy, then, if there isn't anyone else to help you?" she asked finally.</p><p>Ranma just shrugged, smirking that cocky smirk of his. "Sheesh, Akane, it's just one guy-"</p><p>"How bad could it possibly get?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma sprinted across the pavement as if his life depended on it... which it did! The road behind him detonated in a long string of molten explosions that trailed him for a good thirty feet. He quickly dove through the air, just as another series of high-speed plasma projectiles tore into the ground where he had been standing a split second earlier. Each blast slammed into the pavement with enough force to send debris flying for yards and enough heat to turn that debris into poor man's magma.</p><p>His frantic dive landed him behind a nearby armored car. He peeked around the corner of the vehicle to stare at the scene behind him. The entire street was in ruins! Cars flipped over, lamp posts bent, torn out of the ground, or plain melted down. Long lines of craters ran up and down the road, across a lot of building faces and spelt the end for more than a few news stands.</p><p>In the middle of the maelstrom, hovering several feet above the ground was the culprit. Standing at about four feet tall, one wouldn't imagine that he-it was responsible, but still, Ranma had seen weirder.</p><p>"Damnit! This is the <em>third one</em> this week! Where the hell are they all coming from?"</p><p>The rather irate cry drew Ranma's attention away from his target, to the other individual sharing his current hiding spot. The Lieutenant glared at the odd-looking handgun that he was currently holding. The older man banged angrily on the side of the oversized weapon, certainly not any kind of gun that Ranma had ever seen, which suddenly caused a green light to flash on the barrel as it seemed to hum to life. Huh... that was weird.</p><p>Daizo hefted the overly large pistol and glared at it again. "Ultra high-tech piece of junk..." muttered the man under his breath. The officer then turned to him. "What's this city coming to? Most of my life: nothing! Now, it's like these superfreaks are popping out of the woodwork! First that red guy, then that black, ghost thing. And, of course, let us not forget that huge, stupid looking yellow robot that tried to cook up the entire Police Station!"</p><p>Ranma smiled grimly at that memory. "Shucks, it sure was too bad that we weren't able to stop it before it actually busted into the Commander's office," he stated... maybe just slightly sarcastically.</p><p>The older man smiled wryly at that. "I certainly hope you aren't insinuating anything there, Saotome."</p><p>The pigtailed boy just shook his head, still catching his breath from all the running and dodging he'd been doing. "I'm just saying that your boss probably wouldn't have insisted on you being equipped with all the best stuff if he hadn't almost gotten eaten, heh."</p><p>Daizo rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah, well we'll see if this overachieving remote control is worth what they paid for it soon enough. Never would have imagined I would end up using it on Astroboy, though," the old man muttered that last part.</p><p>Ranma was about to ask who Astroboy was when their conversation was suddenly interrupted.</p><p>Interrupted rudely, as suddenly the entire armored vehicle they were hiding behind suddenly lifted into the air! They both stared in shock at the widely smiling face of the armor plated boybot as it casually lifted the massive truck above its head with one hand and floated up into the air. The jet exhaust from the adolescent blue robot kicked up stinging clouds of dust and debris that did its best to get into his eyes.</p><p>"Good Afternoon!" came the high-pitched whine that passed as the robot’s voice.</p><p>The next second, both of them were frantically running out of the way, just as the multi-ton bludgeon crashed back to the ground, embedding itself deep into the unyielding pavement. Almost instantly, Ranma flipped onto a nearby car and rebounded back to meet the pointy headed robot head-on.</p><p>Super strong opponents, he was more than used to.</p><p>The self proclaimed Mecha-Boi just had enough time to turn in his direction and raise a brightly glowing fist before Ranma was all over him. He landed lightly on the smoking remains of the armored car and slid around the frantic energy blast with dismissive ease. Then he spun around the following punch, planting his elbow deep into the robot’s chest.</p><p>A metallic clang rang through the entire street as the robot boy was launched through the air to smash into and through the front of a nearby building.</p><p>"<em>Ouch</em>! Damnit!" he howled, clutching his elbow to his chest.</p><p>What the hell was that thing made of, some kind of... metal... um, never mind. Sheesh, Ranma could probably punch a hole through the armored car that he was standing on without flinching, but hitting that robot was like hitting Ryouga - if Ryouga had managed to get himself dumped into a vat of titanium and cooled into a statue of himself!</p><p>Quickly, he turned to Lieutenant Uehara. "Hey, Gramps! Who the heck is Astroboy?"</p><p>Daizo was just dragging himself to his feet, having narrowly avoided being crushed by the armored car. The officer spent a moment staring suspiciously at his new gun, before looking at him incredulously. "Who's Astroboy? Did you spend your whole life under a rock, Saotome? Astroboy is practically a Japanese Icon. Really, they just don't make heroes like they used to," grumbled the cop, sounding slightly nostalgic.</p><p>Ranma jumped down to the road, getting a little more distance between him and the hole he had just launched the tiny terror through. Better safe than sorry, after all. Annoyingly, he couldn't sense the robot at all, so he couldn't tell if it was trying to be sneaky and get behind him, or if it was just taking forever to get off its butt.</p><p>Still keeping his senses stretched to their limit, he turned to Daizo. "Some dorky robot boy was Japan's greatest hero? Man, you guys must have been pretty deprived back in your day." Not that Ranma really had the money to keep up with much in the way of manga or anything, but since settling down in Nerima, he'd gotten to know all the big names in manga and anime, even if only at the insistence of Hiroshi and Daisuke.</p><p>"I'll have you know-"</p><p>A slight vibration in the ground caused him to tune out the rest of his partner's words instantly.</p><p>There!</p><p>He leapt straight up, just as the killer machine burst up through the street, likely from the sewers below! Ranma angled himself to avoid the flying uppercut and smash into the boy's deceptively jolly face, when:</p><p>A massive beam of coherent light slammed into Mecha-Boi's chest! The blast was powerful enough to send the robot flying off to crash into another parked car, reducing the green compact to so much scrap metal. The pigtailed boy smiled, landing on the edge of the hole his attacker had created, rather than fall to the sewers below, an unpleasant prospect for several reasons.</p><p>Off to the side, still not too far from the armored car, was Lieutenant Uehara... currently sitting on his butt, a smoking gun in his hands and a surprised look on his face. Ranma nearly laughed out loud at the sight; apparently that gun had some kick to it.</p><p>He turned to regard the scrapped car, as the robot boy pulled himself out of it. Ranma's eyes widened slightly at the sight of a large hole, at least four inches in diameter, burned straight through the robot’s chest.</p><p>
  <em>Note to self: Don't get shot by that gun!</em>
</p><p>Oddly enough, Mecha-Boi didn't seem too put out by the rather large hole taking up residence in his torso.</p><p>Suddenly, in a flash of color, the hole sealed itself instantly! The pigtailed boy did a double take at that! Nearly instantly, the hole closed, the once empty space now a bright crimson color. A second later, it flashed yellow, then suddenly the circular patch flashed blue and then melded in perfectly with the rest of the robot's colors.</p><p>Ranma nearly felt his jaw slam into the pavement at his feet. T-t-that just wasn't <em>right</em>! There had been a <em>hole</em> in his chest, the kind of hole that you don't walk away from! Any further gasps of incomprehension were cut off, though, as the robot lifted its hands before it again, blue plasma building up already.</p><p>Fortunately (or worryingly) Ranma was getting strangely accustomed to these little impossibilities, so he was already dodging when the air came to life with dozens of high energy plasma projectiles. His world became a series of flips, dodges, and dives as he avoided the mass of attacks with a series of acrobatics that would leave most gymnasts in the hospital.</p><p>Unfortunately, it wasn't getting him any closer to his opponent. The damn kid didn't seem to have any limit on how many of those damn blasts it could throw.</p><p>So, a few seconds later, Ranma found himself once again hiding behind an armored car, a grumpy police Lieutenant crouched down beside him. The pigtailed boy smiled, turning to his companion.</p><p>"Ya know, we really gotta stop meeting like this."</p><p>The Lieutenant glared at him <em>balefully, </em>even as their tenuous cover shook and shuddered under enemy fire, apparently trying to decide whether to pistol whip him. Judging by the small bar of light on the side of the gun, it was going to take a few more seconds to recharge again -</p><p>A beep.</p><p>"Shit!"  "Crap!"</p><p>In a burst of motion, the two of them twisted and turned, looking for whatever had caused the noise. If his battle with Saico-Tek had taught him anything, it was a healthy respect for the 'beep'.</p><p>There it was again!</p><p>"Where's it coming from?" Daizo's words were getting more panicked.</p><p>Wait! It was coming from his... pants?</p><p>Ranma slapped his palm to his forehead. D'oh! He knew exactly what it was. With only a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, the martial artist pulled the circular yellow communicator from his pocket and held it before him. He was about to open it, but then turned to Daizo.</p><p>"Um, excuse me, Lieutenant, but I gotta take this."</p><p>If looks had the ability to kill, Ranma was sure that the contents of his skull would have been decorating a good part of the neighborhood at that very moment. The Lieutenant held the irate glare for several moments, it looked like he was going through some kind of internal struggle on whether to yell at him, smack him upside the head, or just outright shoot him.</p><p>Rather than do any of those things though, the cop suddenly pulled out his trusty revolver and jumped out from behind the armored car. A second later, the sounds of ionizing air, tiny combustion reactions and maniacal laughter filled the air as Daizo went on a one-man rampage against the tiny blue robot.</p><p>Ranma simply shrugged, he'd seen weirder. That out of the way, he flipped open the communicator, not sure what to expect.</p><p>Raven's face filled the tiny screen. She seemed to take a moment taking in the scene that surrounded him. He absently heard several plasma blasts fly over his head and explode spectacularly down the street, even as Daizo's half-crazed laughter continued to fill the air.</p><p>"Hey, Raven! How are things going?" he asked happily.</p><p>Raven continued to stare at him, a small look of incomprehension on her face.</p><p>"I'm not... calling you at a bad time... am I?" she asked uncertainly.</p><p>He thought about that for a moment.</p><p>"Hmm, naw, not really. This is pretty normal for me, really," he stated, smiling wickedly. "So, what's on your mind, Rae?"</p><p>One of the girl's eyebrows arched cutely at that. "Well, I was calling about... are you <em>certain </em>this isn't a bad time? I could have sworn I heard explosions: multiple explosions..."</p><p>Ranma casually waved his hand in front of the communicator, even as he heard Daizo curse loudly in the background. "Well, I do have something I'm kinda in the middle of, but it's nothing too important. I'm sure I can talk to you while I'm doin that," he explained confidently.</p><p>A second later, Daizo flopped over the top of the armored car and dropped to the ground beside him, he appeared to be smoking slightly. The Lieutenant glared at him hotly for a moment. "Anytime today that you feel like using those amazing kung fu skills of yours would be nice, Saotome... Hey! That better not be a personal call while you're on company time!"</p><p>He glanced at Raven's tiny face, then back to his partner. "Um... no! This is important business... superhero business! Don't worry, I'll take care of the metal munchkin in a sec."</p><p>With that, he hopped up and over the mostly molten slag that was once used to transport currency and started charging the hovering form of the robot. He lifted the communicator up again. "Sorry 'bout that, Rae. So, what was it you wanted to talk about again?" he asked politely.</p><p>A second later, the plasma started flying. He zigged to the side and zagged back again, snagging a sheared off car door in his erratic travels.</p><p>"Please don't call me Rae. And... "</p><p>Roll – Flip – Leap forward -</p><p>"...well, I just really felt the need to talk to someone."</p><p>A neon burst of plasma shrieked straight in his direction. Rather than waste time dodging, he swung the errant car door ahead of him, angled just enough so the blast skipped off, rather than melted straight through. Physics rocked!</p><p>"I didn't really feel comfortable talking to anyone else in the Tower about it... things have been... odd lately."</p><p>One last leap took him up and over the blue robot. He spun as tightly as the laws of nature and a big bulky car door would allow. As soon as he landed, he lashed out with the mother of all backhands, the car door smashing into Mecha-Boi's exposed back with enough force to <em>explode</em> in a shower of metal and glass. The mini mecha careened into the ground, digging a ten-foot trench before skipping up and bouncing into the air, just in time to be caught in the leg by another high yield laser blast! The attack sent the tiny terror spinning like a top until it demolished the face of a nearby bank.</p><p>Ranma let out a small whistle at that, he bet even the old Lech woulda felt that one. He lifted the communicator back up, smirking confidently. "Heh, odd you say? I think I can relate." Without thinking about it, he dropped the shattered remains of the door, dropping it to the ground with a clatter.</p><p>Raven's tiny face grew a reserved smile. "I'm certain you can." Then her face returned to its more natural, neutral expression. "It's just that – that everyone has been walking on eggshells here lately. Robin has been spending a lot of time with Kasumi lately and Starfire and Cyborg both seem to be reacting adversely, though I can't imagine why."</p><p>The pigtailed boy scratched his head at that... walking on eggshells? What an odd expression.  It didn't sound that hard, he was fairly sure he could do that without even thinking about it.</p><p>"But then, conversely, Starfire and Ryouga have also been indulging in their strange sibling relationship more lately, which has Robin feeling tense."</p><p>"Huh? What's the big deal there? Those two are good friends, nothing for bird boy to get his tights in a bunch about," he replied, feeling the odd desire to stand up for two people that he considered to be good friends, perhaps even contemporaries in the art.</p><p>A shift in the rubble signaled potential trouble. A moment later, Mecha-Boi dug itself out of the mortar and glass, looking none the worse for wear. Damn! Even the laser blast was already healed, he figured at the very least that would have done something. Really, all he was accomplishing seemed to be knocking the damn little robot around like a pin ball. For all its strength and durability, it was obscenely light, so almost any hit he landed just launched it through the air.</p><p>"My thoughts exactly. And then there is Beast Boy, he's pacing around like an expectant father, waiting for Ryouga to cure Terra. It's all getting to be more than I can handle," she explained, sounding a little stressed out.</p><p>Ranma didn't wait for his opponent to start flinging plasma blasts again, he flew forward on the attack. Within a second, he was in the robot's face, unleashing a lighting fast combination of Amaguriken punches, just like he normally would against Ryouga. Mecha-Boi was insanely strong and inhumanly tough, but he wasn't trained to fight at all, and lacked any real speed.</p><p>He lifted the communicator as he unleashed another chestnut fist with his right fist.</p><p>"Who – the heck..."</p><p>Backhand flowed into a sweep kick. Mecha-Boi floated over the kick with its leg jets -</p><p>"Is Terra?"</p><p>Knife hand chop to the side of the neck turned into a grab and he flipped the robot over his hip to slam into the ground. He then drove a devastating axe kick directly into the robot’s face, driving its entire head a foot into the road.</p><p>He noticed the shocked look on Raven's face now, apparently, she was watching a bit of his fight when he was waving his communicator around.</p><p>"Um... I'll tell you later. Are you sure you should be talking to me right now? You appear to be quite busy."</p><p>With his free hand, he latched onto the tin can's leg and lifted with all his strength, tearing the robot completely out of the ground. He then pulled down as hard as he could and smashed the robot back to earth twice as hard as before, burying it even further into the pavement. <em>Then</em> he tore it out of the ground again and spun around three times, before launching it across the street and through the third story wall of a department store.</p><p>"Damnit, Saotome! Try to tone down the property destruction!" Uehara bellowed from... wherever he was hiding. Ranma chuckled to himself, obviously this cop had never been to Nerima before.</p><p>He gazed back down to Raven. "Hmm, while you’re here... you got any advice on how to beat an indestructible little robot boy? This guy is harder than Ryouga's skull," he asked earnestly.</p><p>Raven thought about that for a moment. "Well, if it's a poorly made robot, dousing it with water could work. Or you could try to short out its systems with electricity, those are both good ways to deal with robots."</p><p>Ranma nodded, considering his options. A quick scan of his surroundings gave him a few options that he could use. Yeah... yeah, that could work. All he needed was a distraction. He looked back to Raven. "Hey, thanks for the tip. Look, I'm really sorry, but I gotta let ya go now, things are gonna get pretty ugly here, but I promise I'll call ya back later tonight, alright?"</p><p>She nodded in understanding, more than likely surprised that he had stayed on the line as long as he had. Without another word, he flipped the device closed and stuck it back in his pocket. A quick glance at the hole he'd just made showed his opponent was still down, possibly repairing itself after the beat down he'd just laid down on it.</p><p>A single leap took him back behind the armored car, to kneel beside the Lieutenant. Daizo stared back at him. "Finally done talking to your girlfriend, Saotome?" he cracked, sounding slightly amused.</p><p>Ranma just glared at him. "Don't even joke about that, man. Now listen, I need you to keep that thing busy for a second, I gotta plan."</p><p>Daizo nodded confidently. "What's the plan, kid?"</p><p>Ranma's smile slipped at that.</p><p>"Lieutenant, I'm afraid you're about to see a very ugly side of me."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Mecha-Boi stood up, all internal and surface injuries fully repaired. A quick diagnostic revealed no problems remaining and that he was fully prepared to re-initiate battle. If such a thing were possible, the robotic boy was feeling... troubled. All his data on humans and human nature indicated that his victory should have been swift and brutal and yet this human remained undamaged. Was even inflicting minor damage, damage that no human should be able to inflict with its bare hands.</p><p>The laser weapon, while potentially dangerous, was not unforeseen and well within his abilities to regenerate from. The other human’s abilities though, they defied all logic. Genetic scans indicated no alien or mutated DNA, so the target’s heightened abilities had no logical reason for existing.</p><p>Still, in the thirteen minutes and fifteen point three-five seconds since they had initiated combat, he had recorded a four point six-two percent decrease in his target’s maximum velocity and a five point nine-one percent decrease in his reaction time. Thus, his CPU calculated that eventually fatigue would drop his designated target within combat parameters that he would be able to overcome.</p><p>Still puzzled by his target’s unusual abilities, Mecha-Boi was, nonetheless, satisfied that his victory was assured. His opponent was, after all, only human.</p><p>All this contemplation had taken approximately a tenth of a second. A fraction of a second later, his jets flared to life and he flew out the shattered wall that he had been thrown through. Two seconds after that, he landed on the ground and proceeded to scan his surroundings.</p><p>Still kneeling behind the remains of the currency transport, a red outline formed around the figure of the secondary target. The threat value of the uniformed officer floated dangerously close to zero. A second outline formed around the weapon in the officer's hands, its threat value showed it to be a moderate risk.</p><p>But where was the primary target? Auditory sensors and motion sensors didn't show any signs that matched his previous readings on the human. Breathing, heartbeat and vibrations from footsteps (based on mass to height ratio) were all suddenly absent. Had the primary target fled combat?</p><p>All evidence seemed to indicate that scenario. That decided, he switched combat priorities, re-establishing the secondary target as the primary target. Slowly, Mecha-Boi turned to face the cowering human, raising a glowing fist.</p><p>As predicted, the human chose that moment to leap up from his cover and fire his high yield energy weapon. Mecha-Boi simply oriented the angle of his own attack, then launched a plasma beam of his own. The two blasts met almost directly between the two of them, a shower of supercharged plasma raining to the street in a fiery display of thermodynamics.</p><p>Of course, Mecha-Boi's energy yield was roughly nine point nine-five percent higher than his opponent's energy weapon. Also, his records stated that the laser pistol could maintain maximum output for only three point two-five seconds, whereas he had no such limits.</p><p>Three point two-five seconds later, the energy duel ended, Mecha-Boi's energy lance instantly blasting through the dying beam of his opponent's weapon. The target just barely retained the reaction time to dive out of the way before being vaporized.</p><p>Suddenly, Mecha-Boi spun to the side, glowing fist raised threateningly. The unknown figure previously disregarded as a non-combatant had just breached his threat perimeter. Mecha-Boi scanned the human that stood roughly seven feet in front of him.</p><p>Human female, roughly five foot, two inches. Hair: Red, Eyes: Blue... After several seconds of processing, a green outline surrounded the figure and the words 'Non-combatant' flashed across his CPU.</p><p>Unlike his companions, Mecha-Boi's primary programming had not been significantly altered. While he had been programmed to attack all specified targets, his core programming forbade him from harming any innocent bystanders... especially females.</p><p>Her threat level continued to drop, as she leaned forward, smiling cutely. "Hello there, little boy! My, aren't you a little cutie. Do you want me to buy you some ice cream, little guy?" she asked in a cooing voice.</p><p>Suddenly, unused sub processors flared to life and unknown subroutines began to run against his will. For no logical reason, a wide smile formed on Mecha-Boi's face and he began rubbing his hand against the back of his perfectly smooth head.</p><p>"Hey, that'd be really nice, lady. My name is Mecha-Boi, what's yours?" he replied happily. Wait a second! Happily? Where were these emotion protocols coming from?</p><p>The pretty girl looked at him oddly for a moment, before smiling widely again. "My name is Ranko, come on, let's go get that ice cream. I know a place that has great sundaes," she insisted. Ranko then offered a petite hand for him to hold. Before he even had time to computate why, he was already reaching forward to take it.</p><p>Just a moment before he reached her hand, his threat sensors flared to life, as a sad look descended on the girl's pretty face. An automatic threat analysis began to run in his CPU. All visual and auditory data compiled in his mind and started to form a complete scenario in his mind.</p><p>A thick cable was lying on the ground behind the girl, running up behind her back. Why hadn't his sensors recorded that before? He was about to fly back out of range, when the girl suddenly lashed out with a speed that defied all comparison, save one.</p><p>The sparking hydro wire, which Ranko had been holding behind her back, snaked towards him with viper speed. Mecha-Boi didn't even have the time to activate his boot jets before it slammed heavily into his chest.</p><p>And then everything went black.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma tossed the sparking cable off to the side, mindful of the danger it still presented. The pigtailed redhead was feeling a bit bad about her plan now. Sure, it had worked, but she'd only expected to distract the robot long enough to get close enough. Instead, Mecha-Boi had started to react to her in a completely different manner.</p><p>The tiny robot boy had begun to smile a <em>genuine</em> smile and he'd looked so happy about the prospect of getting ice cream with her. It was like Mecha-Boi had become a completely different person when she had activated her curse. And that hadn't even been the worse part.</p><p>No, the look of utter betrayal, just a second before she'd hit him with the cable. It was eating away at her. She looked down at the smoking body of the robot boy, feeling like the biggest heel ever.</p><p>"Saotome, there had better be one <em>hell</em> of an explanation for this," grumbled the Lieutenant, as he came over to join her.</p><p>She waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, Gramps, I'll fill ya in later, it's a pretty long story. B-but didn't you think it was odd how that robot kid was actin, just before I got him?"</p><p>Daizo stared at her impassively for a moment, before nodding slightly. "Yeah, I'm not sure why he didn't just blast you. Still, don't feel too bad about it, he was a dangerous criminal, you did the right thing."</p><p>Ranma nodded to herself, still not feeling one hundred percent sure. None of the other bad guys had acted like that... not that they really should, it wasn't like there was any connection between any of them, except that the last two had been robots.</p><p>That thought brought her back to their original problem. She looked over to her, now much taller, partner. "I'd like to know where all of these guys are comin from, and why they all chose pretty much the same time to start acting up. It seems like a bit much to be a coincidence," she stated.</p><p>The Lieutenant nodded in a sagely manner at that. "Maybe it's time I started doing some more digging. You head on home, Ranko, you need to rest up in case another of these loonies shows up."</p><p>"Hey now, none of that. My name is Ranma no matter what form I'm in."</p><p>Daizo just smiled smugly.</p><p>"Suure it is... Ranko."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma shuffled tiredly out of the kitchen. After the fight he'd had that day, a midnight snack had been exactly what he'd needed. These super villain types were different as far as fighting went. They didn't follow any code, like most of his opponents did, which made them much more dangerous to innocent people. And each of the bad guys that he'd fought so far had presented puzzling scenarios on how to defeat them. In fact, Mecha-Boi had been the first one that he'd actually and decisively put down.</p><p>It was odd, none of them were what he would consider fighters of any caliber, but their powers made them dangerous regardless. They were all hard to hurt too, especially that last one. Not even Ryouga presented such an annoying level of durability.  Of course, Ranma knew a way around it now, but somehow doubted that it would be appropriate to jab the Lost Boy with a live hydro wire.</p><p>The idea did seem pretty damn funny though!</p><p>Oh, well. One thing was certain, he definitely <em>wasn't</em> looking forward to his driving lesson tomorrow. It seemed more than likely that it was going to be more Jusenkyo lesson, than driving lesson. Well, at least today's fight hadn't been televised, and it wasn't like it was something that his partner didn't need to know about eventually.</p><p>He nearly jumped out of his skin when the phone rang just as he walked past it! "Crap," he muttered weakly to himself, holding a hand to his heart. He was starting to get jumpy with all these wackos jumping out of the woodwork lately.</p><p>Not wanting to wake anyone else up, he quickly picked up the phone before it could ring a second time. "Yo, Tendo Residence. Who may I ask is callin?" he asked politely.</p><p>"Cut the pleasantries, Ranma, I need to talk to you."</p><p>Ranma's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The voice belonged to someone that he'd <em>never</em> thought he'd hear from again.</p><p>"N-n-Nabiki!" he whispered harshly, suddenly very worried that someone else might hear. "What the heck are ya callin for? I thought you were a super villain now!"</p><p>"I am, you numbskull, which is why I'm calling. You and I need to <em>talk</em>."</p><p>Still not sure what the heck was goin on, he reverted to type. "Heh, you're pretty lucky then. Callin right when I was walkin by the phone like that. Pretty lucky coincidence I gotta say."</p><p>He could practically feel the middle Tendo's eyes roll over the phone line. "...riiiggght, a <em>coincidence</em>. Look, I'm calling you about your little publicity stunt a few days ago. Really, getting into a fight with a super villain, on <em>live</em> television?"</p><p>He shrugged... before realizing he was on the phone. "Yeah, so what? Me and that Lieutenant guy chased the guy off, saved a lot of people to boot. What's the big deal?" he asked, a little curious.</p><p>Nabiki's voice rose an octave as she continued, apparently, she was in a pretty bad mood tonight. "The problem is, <em>Ranma</em>, that you didn't even <em>try</em> to hide your identity! You've pretty much declared yourself a superhero for all the world to see and you're using your <em>real name</em>! Do you not see the problem inherent here?" she asked in disbelief.</p><p>"Umm, not really... I mean, Ryouga's been doing this for longer than me, and he ain't doin none of that dumb disguise of funny name junk."</p><p>This time Nabiki nearly hissed in his ear. He pulled the phone from his ear a few inches. "Yes, well <em>Ryouga</em> isn't currently living in <em>my </em>house, with <em>my </em>father and <em>my </em>sister! Look, I don't care if you get yourself killed, you moron, but you'd better think twice if you think I'm going to let you endanger my family just so you can get a few thrills," she bit out angrily.</p><p>Sheesh! He couldn't remember the last time she'd been this mad at him. "Okay! Okay, I get it. But there isn't much I can really do about it now, it's a bit late for that, isn't it?" he replied, feeling a bit bad now. He hadn't even thought of that. His enemies had always known where he lived in the past, but they'd never been interested in doing anything but fighting him. But if these new villains started following him home... there was no telling what they would do.</p><p>Suddenly, he was very worried for Akane and their fathers.</p><p>Apparently happy that he was finally understanding, Nabiki's voice returned to its normal cool tone. "Heh, well, luckily for you, your future sister-in-law is well connected. As soon as I saw you on the news, I had Gizmo start tearing through all the government mainframes he could find, erasing all evidence of anything that could connect you to my family. In fact, he's spent the last few days erasing your old identity and creating a new one. As far as the world is going to be concerned, you aren't even going to know anyone named Tendo, and the only tie you have to Nodoka Saotome is coincidence, got it?"</p><p>He stared in shock at that. "Y-you're erasing my mom!"</p><p>Nabiki let out a tired sigh. "No, I'm not erasing your mom, just that you're her son. I'm also setting up a false address for you, I'll send you the mailing address so you can pick up anything anyone might send you later. So, no more parking your bike in the backyard, got it? I want you to find a safe place to hide it when you're done whatever it is you're doing, and using every stealth trick that you know to get back to the dojo, got it?"</p><p>He nodded with each point... man, she really knew what she was doing.</p><p>"One more thing, go check the mailbox as soon as we're done here. There's a package there for you, it's a cell phone and a bank card. I want you to use that cell phone to contact the police <em>only. </em>I don't want you using it for personal things, and I definitely don't want you contacting your buddies on the force with our home phone."</p><p>He nodded again. "Hmm, that makes sense. But, what about the bank card, what's that for?"</p><p>"Two things, think of the first as a bribe to keep your mouth shut about this call. I'm setting up an offshore account for that card and you can use a certain amount of it to finance your superhero efforts. However, the remainder I want you to use to help pay off the bills around the dojo. I can imagine that daddy has been more mopey than usual lately, and I know that Akane isn't dealing with the finances, so I want you to start taking care of that for me. It's not too much to ask for, I hope," she finished sharply.</p><p>Wow, that was a lot to take in. Not only was Nabiki doing everything in her power to try to keep his identity secret, but she also actually trusted him enough to look out for Akane and her dad? To be honest, it was yet another thing that had slipped his mind lately. Mr. Tendo had been despondent lately, so he hadn't really been going to work much, and his own father's job at Dr. Tofu's wasn't exactly bringing in the dough either.</p><p>"Heh, wow, you're, like, the nicest super villain <em>ever</em>, Nabiki!"</p><p>He could hear the cold-hearted mercenary girl grumbling to herself on the other end of the line.</p><p>"Oh, shut up, Saotome!"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>His flailing limb tore through the air, slashing through a nearby beam with the precision of a razor. He didn't even notice the contact, didn't register the angry groan of shifting lumber that filled the air around him. The dark figure slammed his hands to his skull, clutching the slick parchment which covered the bone with a manic intensity. The sensation of ripping paper was excruciating, as he tore the stained material away, splattering it against the walls and floor, graphic content in a black and white world.</p><p>He howled then, ink painting the ceiling above him, but not from the pain. Rather, the indescribable feeling of the paper which formed his skin regenerating, healing instantly. Brushogun stared in horror as... <em>something</em> bubbled and boiled, just beneath the paper-thin epidermis, something seeking release. He could feel it again, more keenly then ever before, that... <em>thing</em> that stalked the dark corners of his mind. He could feel it lashing out once more, trying to steal what shreds remained of his stained soul.</p><p>He would <em>not</em> let it have him! He would serve it’s purpose, he would do all that it asked, but he would do it on <em>his</em>terms, <em>his</em> way!</p><p>With one last surge of pure will, very nearly caving in his own skull in the process, Brushogun pushed the <em>thing</em> back into the black recesses of his soul once more. He could still feel it though, feel it pacing along the edges still, waiting for its chance. What was worse, just as every time before, he could feel that the stain on his soul had spread. It was such a small amount, a taint hardly worth noticing in a normal man, but within him...</p><p>He was already so close to surrendering that very last inch of himself, that tiny fragment which seemed to grow in importance with every passing second...</p><p>Suddenly, Brushogun stood straight once more, shaking his head to clear it of such strange thoughts. What had he even been thinking about? Such poetical nonsense did not befit a being such as himself! He looked around him, to the ruined interior of the temple which housed him. A derisive snort escaped liquid lips; it was long past time that he moved on. This building had since served its purpose; there was no need to linger.</p><p>After all, he had a world to conquer, and more importantly, a nemesis to crush. A grim sneer etched itself across his nearly featureless face. <em>Four</em> failures so far; he had been certain that Mecha-Boi would have been able to deal with that fool, Saotome. Even worse, it appeared that the boy and his barely competent partner had been joined by another, a red headed girl of all things.</p><p>Admittedly, though, that last battle had been <em>extremely </em>entertaining, perhaps there was no reason to simply eradicate his enemy yet. He did have all of eternity to destroy the world. Perhaps a few more attempts before he decided to truly test the depths of his enemy's constitution. Practice made perfect, after all. He was certain there would be others to follow, more victims to pick up the tattered banner in resisting his endless power.</p><p>Perhaps he needed a slightly different tact, though. The mechanical wonders that he had conjured forth had failed, despite their immense strength and power. Perhaps something with somewhat more g<em>race </em>was required. The Ink Demon looked to the far corner of the temple, where his latest minion had been patiently waiting out his tantrum. His sneer stretched painfully into a smile, accompanied by the sharp sound of shredding paper.</p><p>This Saotome child, he appeared to be quite the heroic type, a martial artist and warrior the likes of which haven't been acknowledged for centuries. If he truly was the noble warrior archetype that he appeared to be, perhaps he might be a chivalrous warrior as well.</p><p>At his bidding, his minion stepped out of the shadows, her generous and perfectly formed curves highlighted dangerously in the play of light and darkness that filled the temple. Yes, technology hadn't worked so far, so perhaps something more primal was called for. And wrapping it in such an alluring package, certainly that would throw his nemesis off guard.</p><p>Of course, in the unlikely case that she didn't destroy the Saotome boy, there was no need to make it a completely wasted mission. He had yet to learn anything about his opponent and as Sun Tzu had written 'If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.' That thought in mind, a simple plan formed.</p><p>Without a second’s hesitation, Brushogun thrust his cruel claws into his own eye socket. He dug around hungrily, relishing the white-hot agony, before the gruesome sound of rending flesh offered up that which he desired. He tore his talons from the bloody hole in a spray of ink, smiling all the while. He then held his hand before his face and slowly opened it to reveal his prize.</p><p>He stared at the ebony orb that sat so sedately in the palm of his hand. Already, he felt a matching one growing in its stead, replacing the stolen eye. He continued to gaze at the small orb, instilling it with a small figment of its own existence. Moments later, drawing upon further material from his own hand, the jet-black eye of ink grew a pair of small demonic wings, before slowly standing on tiny insectile legs of its own.</p><p>Brushogun smiled at his latest creation. Certainly, he could see through the eyes of his creations, but what more symbolic way of watching and learning of his enemy could there possibly be? Now, given a mockery of life and clear in what he desired, the macabre creature took to the air on its newly created wings and flitted through the air. A second later, it landed upon his other minion's shoulder.</p><p>The Demon looked back to the lovely demoness and smiled once more. "Go now, my minion. Find the Saotome boy and destroy him."</p><p>With only the quickest of nods, she was gone in a flash of movement that even he could barely follow. Yes, he was certainly looking forward to this next battle.</p><p>Suddenly, Brushogun looked up and to the East. Oh yes...</p><p>There was one last thing he needed to attend to.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Hey, Lieutenant, I just wanted to thank you again for havin' your boys fix up my bike," his rather short and rather... um... <em>healthy</em> companion chirped happily. Daizo just nodded, still not completely comfortable looking at the young woman that walked beside him. He shook his head in amazement, outwardly he was being just as stoic and unimpressed as ever, but internally, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the concept of a gender changing curse. Let alone one that was activated by something as inane as water temperature!</p><p>Even considering some of the strange things he'd been subjected to lately, the least of which was being terrorized by robotic children that were just a little too reminiscent of childhood memories for his comfort, he had to admit that Saotome's curse was still pretty high up there. Of course, he didn't want to give the cocky little brat the idea that she'd gotten to him in any way, shape, or form.</p><p>There was one question that he just had to ask, though... okay, maybe two. Slowly, he turned to face her, trying to catch her gaze but failing miserably.</p><p>"Saotome...," he trailed off meaningfully.</p><p>She turned to face him, possibly waiting to hear what he was going to say. "Yeah, Lieutenant?"</p><p>He took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to formulate his inquiry. Seconds passed and still nothing came, so he decided to just blurt it out.</p><p>"Why the heck are you still wearing that Motorcycle helmet? We're in the police precinct, for crying out loud!"</p><p>Honestly, there were times when he seriously contemplated the sanity of his new companion.</p><p>Ranko's helmeted head tilted to the side, the sleek red shell of her helmet reflecting the lights brilliantly. Then, the athletic girl turned her head from side to side, in what he assumed was a conspiratorial check to see if anyone was currently watching them. She then leaned forward, placing a dainty hand at the side of where her mouth was under the helmet, very much as if she were telling him some grand secret.</p><p>In a whispered voice, she finally answered. "Shhhh! I gotta keep my identity secret, ya know?"</p><p>Almost before he knew what he was doing, his right hand flew up on its own accord, preparing to pistol whip the girl into submission. With a great feat of will, he slowly forced his hand back to his side, before letting out an explosive groan.</p><p>"Secret Identity? <em>What</em> secret identity? I know what you look like, I know your name, for the love of the gods, I have your cell phone number on my <em>speed dial</em>! Besides, you're practically a martial arts Demi-God, what possible reason would you need to worry about people knowing who you are?" he asked, genuinely curious.</p><p>Ranko looked around once more, before confirming that they were the only two currently in this section of the precinct. A moment later, she removed the helmet, revealing a shock of red hair even brighter than her helmet. With a sigh, she lowered the protective gear to her side and looked back at him with a defeated look.</p><p>"Yeah, I know all that. I know it's a bit late to try to keep who I am a secret, but I still gotta try. It ain't about keepin me safe, ya know? I got other people to worry about, my friends and family, people that aren't as good as I am. I mean, my buddy, Ryouga, he ain't worried none about usin a disguise, but then, he don't gotta worry 'bout no one finding <em>his</em> family anytime this century," she explained with only a few grammatical abominations.</p><p>Daizo nodded in understanding at that. "I think I get it, and since no one but me really knows about your girl form, you still have a chance to keep it a secret."</p><p>She nodded, looking a bit depressed. "Yeah, I sure as heck don't wanna get stuck doin all of my crime fightin as a girl, but until I can find some better way of protectin my family, this is the best I could come up with."</p><p>Well, that made sense then. It was good to see the girl – the <em>kid</em>, see the kid finally starting to take this situation seriously. He knew it was a way off, but he was pretty sure that Saotome could make a heck of a cop, given the proper motivation. Of course, there was still another question begging to be asked.</p><p>"Okay, that explains the helmet. Now, why on earth are you carrying around that grocery bag full of eggs?"</p><p>She stared at him through lidded eyes for a moment, before shrugging. "Um... would you believe that I <em>really</em> love omelettes?"</p><p>Actually... he would. Never taking Saotome out for food again was now on the top of his list of personal pledges to his wallet. He shook his head again, out of fear for his own sanity this time. Whatever... it wasn't important.</p><p>The two continued to walk on in relative silence. A few minutes and several security doors later, they finally arrived at their destination. They turned as one to face the transparent plastic wall that separated them from their quarry for that day. Of course, Daizo was pretty darn sure that whatever the clear wall was made of, it was likely a heck of a lot tougher than any simple plastic. Of course, that didn't make him feel even one iota safer.</p><p>He casually leaned over to his companion and whispered out of the side of his mouth, carefully keeping his personal worries out of his voice. "Are you sure this is gonna work, Ranko?"</p><p>The pretty little red head's hands rose before her, her fingers twitching dangerously as she turned to face him, an almost deranged look in her eyes. "For the <em>last</em>time, <em>Gramps</em>, my name is <em>Ranma</em>! No matter what body I'm in!" The twitching finally stopped, and she looked back into the cell before them. "And of course, I'm sure this'll work, you didn't see the look on his face when he saw me in this body, it was like he was a totally different person."</p><p>Daizo nodded carefully, then investigated the cell which housed their latest super criminal: Mecha-Boi. The mechanical boy was currently sitting in a large steel chair at the center of the room. Massive manacles covered the robot’s entire forearms and hands. Large metal restraints also covered his feet and legs, and each restraint was securely mounted on the chair. Only Mecha-Boi's head was unobscured by any form of restraint, revealing his currently lifeless eyes.</p><p>"I sure hope you're right, Saotome, this is probably our best bet to get any info on this crime wave. I don't know why, but something in my bones tells me that there's some kind of connection between our Blue Bomber in here and the rest of those psychos," he stated.</p><p>The red head nodded as well, a serious look on her face. "I think that as long as I don't go in as a boy, he won't attack me." She then turned to face him. "Okay, Lieutenant, turn him back on, let's get this over with."</p><p>He nodded weakly, unconsciously taking a step back as he pulled out the remote that controlled the chair the boy was imprisoned in. With a hesitant flip of the switch, a controlled electrical surge ran through the chair and into the robot boy. An instant later, Mecha-Boi's eyes flared to life, glowing with azure light.</p><p>Daizo took another step back, even as Ranko lowered the helmet and eggs to the floor and took a step forward. With a gentle gesture, she pressed the controls on the side of the cell door, opening the transparent wall for her to enter. Daizo carefully stepped to the side, doing his best to make sure that the girl, as small as she was, was directly between him and the robot. Hopefully, she would hold its full attention and it wouldn't notice him and go into attack mode... or whatever it did.</p><p>The red headed martial artist then stepped into the cell, purposefully holding her arms out to her sides to show that she meant no harm. She took another step forward, as the robot boy's head slowly began to rise, regarding her carefully.</p><p>"You know who I am... right, Mecha-Boi?" she asked quietly.</p><p>The robot continued to study her, Daizo would almost consider the look on the boy's face to be suspicious, if it weren't just a robot, that is. Slowly, the suspicious gaze faded.</p><p>"Ran... ko...?" The robots distorted voice rang out uncertainly. Daizo smiled weakly at that. It appeared that the kid's idea was working, for some insane reason.</p><p>Ranko quickly turned back to face him for a second, flashing him a wide smile and a thumbs up, before turning back to the robot. "That's right, Mecha-Boi. My name is Ranko, I wanna be your friend."</p><p>Mecha-Boi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ranko hurt Mecha-Boi..." a quick, robotic head shake. "I mean: you attacked me, why should I trust you?"</p><p>They had been expecting that, though they had hoped that the initial shock to the robots systems would have damaged its most recent memories. So, Saotome knew how to proceed; they had spent over an hour figuring out exactly what she should say in this situation. True, neither of them were what anyone would call diplomats, but he was sure it would work out.</p><p>True to the plan, Saotome nodded sympathetically. "I know that, and I'm sorry. You see, what happened was -"</p><p>It was pretty much that precise moment... where Mecha-Boi exploded.</p><p>Daizo was certain that it was going to be one of those moments that he would never be able to scour from his memories for as long as he lived. He had no idea what happened, why it happened, or even how it happened for that matter. One moment, Ranko had been talking to the robot boy, the next... Boom!</p><p>Only, it hadn't been an explosion of fire and shrapnel, like he had expected. That... that likely would have been preferable, in retrospect. Instead, Mecha-Boi, who had just been sitting there, completely still, suddenly began to bulge and stretch obscenely, looking very much like a tortured water balloon. Not even Saotome's reflexes were enough to get her out of the way... not that she even tried, her eyes had been just as glued to the macabre spectacle as his had been.</p><p>And then Mecha-Boi exploded... though exploded didn't really seem to fit the bill. Burst... yes, then Mecha-Boi had burst open like an over ripe melon at a Gallagher show. A spray of blue liquid sprayed out from the ruptured husk, painting the roof, the walls, the floor, the martial artist, the officer...</p><p>Uehara Daizo could only stand there, stunned into complete silence by what he had just seen. He could hardly discern Saotome's form out of the nightmarish blue ocean that had only moments ago housed a dangerous criminal. A bitter tang rippled across his tongue, and he nearly gagged at the thought of robot juice running into his mouth. Oddly... oddly it was a strangely familiar taste, but he couldn't place it.</p><p>Slowly, Ranko turned to face him, her eyes as wide as saucers, the sapphire blue of those wide, doe eyes standing out sharply from the pale cerulean that covered every other inch of her. Even more slowly, her mouth opened, struggling to form words.</p><p>"I... think I'm gonna be sick..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Nya-Nya purred happily as she batted away at the pretty shiny things that dangled so temptingly from her claws. Her master had been kind enough to let her run free amongst her prey. It was the first time that she hadn't felt his presence directing her actions and she intended to enjoy it as much as possible. His orders had been simple enough, even for her, but not very specific.</p><p>Kill the Saotome-Prey; it was an easy enough thing to do. Of course, she had only a vague idea what he looked like; really, all these prey-meat-creatures looked more or less alike to her, and none of her siblings had done anything <em>important</em>, like get the male's scent. What good were things like heart beats and breathing patterns if the prey wasn't already close enough to taste anyways? Really, her little brother had been so strange.</p><p>Besides, it wasn't like her master had told her to do it <em>right away</em> or anything. Was it really her fault that so many of these lesser prey possessed such shiny, distracting trinkets? Enjoying the luxurious feel of the bed, she stretched out languidly, absently pushing the remains of her latest prey to the floor with a thump.</p><p>The sharp thump drained some of the simple pleasure she was enjoying, rolling around with all the shiny pretty things surrounding her. She licked her lips, feeling slightly nauseated with the lingering taste that assaulted her tongue. The prey had been old and feeble, not even worth hunting, if it hadn't been for all the shiny pretty things she'd been wearing.</p><p>A disappointed whine escaped her throat. Now she couldn't think about anything else! Annoyed, she dropped the trinkets to the soft sheets of the bed and hopped up to her feet. If she didn't get this taste out her mouth soon... With unnatural grace, she glided over to the window and began to scan the streets below for a more delicious looking prey to hunt.</p><p>Maybe she'd even bring her kill back to her master! That would show him what a good girl she was!</p><p>Ooooohh, a soft purr rattled her throat at the sight below her. A male was currently walking down the street below her; it was practically rippling with muscle and sinew, an alpha male if ever she had seen one before. In fact, even from the distance, he seemed to stand out from the crowd in conditioning, disposition, and attitude. The graceful glide of his strides, the wild, untamed mass of jet-black hair that nearly shone in the morning sun.</p><p>Oh, ho! It seemed that fate was on her side this day. With a single leap, she dropped the six stories to the ground, landing as lightly as an autumn leaf; a second leap cleared the distance between them. She extended all her claws, preparing to land directly on the unsuspecting boy -</p><p>Without even turning to regard her, the boy suddenly spun to the side, doffing the large backpack that was resting on his back and tossing it forcefully in her direction. While unexpected, she simply landed on the leathery surface and bounded once more, landing in a low crouch before the wary looking male.</p><p>Little things caught her attention: the black shirt, the strip of cloth holding back his wild hair. However, what she didn't smell was fear, frustration perhaps, but no fear at all. She decided, then and there, that she would enjoy this hunt immensely, whether it was her true prey or not. Still, out of a (very) weak sense of duty, she slowly rose to her full height. As she did so, the male dropped back into a defensive stance, eyeing her carefully, but not appearing intimidated at all. Not that he really should have been, considering he towered over her by nearly half a foot.</p><p>She licked her lips in anticipation, purring seductively. "Are you Saotome Ranma?" she asked excitedly.</p><p>A dark cloud settled over the young man's face for a second, then it was replaced by a strange expression that she couldn't fathom. Letting out a humorless chuckle, he finally answered.</p><p>"Heh, not anymore, Lady, not anymore..."</p><p>Hmm, what an odd answer, it didn't make any sense to her. Either you were someone, or you weren't someone. How could you not be someone anymore? You can't just stop being who you are, can you? While she stared in confusion, the young male shrugged and began to turn away, already taking a step in the other direction.</p><p>Oh, no, no!</p><p>She leapt up and over him, landing lightly before him on all fours and eyeing him hungrily. A wide smile formed on her ruby lips as she stared into his fierce eyes. He stopped once more, stiffening slightly at the look in her eye. Her smile only widened at that; she was going to have fun with this prey. A soft giggle escaped her lips as she leaned forward, finely honed muscles tensing for the pounce.</p><p>"Close your eyes... this is going to hurt."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu Kumon desperately dodged to the side, blanching at the tug of his harness being torn from his shoulders by his opponent's razor claws. He quickly rolled backwards and flipped back to his feet ten yards away. He vainly tried to remember what it was like to be on the offensive in a battle, because it sure as hell hadn't been happening in the last ten minutes or so. Almost before he could register the movement, his magenta haired murderess was already flying his way.</p><p>He sidestepped nimbly, swinging out with his forearm to violently block her clawed hand. He smirked weakly at the meaty impact that sent the slight figure of the feline female stumbling to the side. It was short lived, though, as she spun rapidly with the momentum and lashed out with a blinding back kick straight to his chest.</p><p>A grunt of pain forced its way out of his lungs, as he just barely crossed his arms in front of him before the shapely limb crashed home. The impact sent him skittering back into a nearby light post, the concrete base fracturing severely when his back slammed into it. Just as quickly, he dove away before his heart could be torn out by a lightning fast follow up. The unfortunate pole suffered the wrath that was intended for him, a hole blowing clear through the center of it. The entire structure began to tip ominously, only the metal rebar at the heart of it keeping it even mildly vertical.</p><p>A painful sting grabbed his attention, drawing his gaze down to his forearms. Four long slashes covered each limb, trickling blood slowly in a powerful testament to just how sharp that damn girl's claws were. He chuckled weakly again.</p><p>On the bright side, if he were going to die here, he couldn't have found a more attractive girl to be responsible for it. He stared at the alluring female, strangely crouching down in front of the post she had just demolished, rather than continuing her relentless assault. She looked enough like a girl, but quite a few differences to be certain.</p><p>He'd never imagined that he'd ever actually meet a Cat girl... Let alone one wearing a magenta-colored leotard... thingy. The ears were cute, the tail was weird, the claws were starting to get annoying! Speaking of which...</p><p>Smiling wickedly at him from her crouched position, the Cat girl suddenly dropped down on her butt and lifted one of her long, toned legs up in a most interesting manner-</p><p>Oh! That just wasn't right!</p><p>The Cat girl’s tongue suddenly darted from between her colored lips, and hungrily lapped up the few drops of his blood that lingered on her hind claws. A second later, she began to purr loudly enough for him to hear, nearly sinful in her apparent pleasure. It... wasn't exactly heartening. A few more strokes of her tongue and the girl finally lowered her leg and returned to her low crouch, smiling all the wider.</p><p>"You taste wonderful. I look forward to devouring you," she purred happily.</p><p>He backed up further, not feeling terribly confident about his future. This defensive fighting stuff went against everything he had trained towards his whole life. The very heart and soul of the Yamasen-ken was to attack your opponent with overwhelming force; to suddenly find himself in such a deadly battle and not being able to fight even close to his full potential...</p><p>The magenta feline began to crawl forward on all fours, slowly circling to his side, but her eyes never left him for a second, she never even blinked. Ryu took a deep breath, then, trying to clear his mind of all those irrelevant thoughts. None of that mattered, only the here and now, only this lovely young girl that was preparing to rend him limb from limb with deceptively deadly claws and deceptively inviting fangs.</p><p>Screw it!</p><p>Not waiting for her, he flew forward on the attack. The ground shattered under his heels as he devoured the distance between them. At the last second, he leapt into a devastating flying kick aimed at her torso. He might not be able to use his advanced skills, but he was still stronger and faster than most anyone else, thanks to a lifetime of harsh training.</p><p>Faster than most anyone but this Cat girl, anyway. She practically vanished for a second, diving under his kick and only the fact that <em>that</em> maneuver was intimately familiar to him allowed him to dive to the side, avoiding having his exposed back shredded by steel claws. He countered just as fast with a spinning sidekick powerful enough to demolish a concrete wall.</p><p>All he demolished was air, though, as she easily leaped over his kick, planting both of her hands just above his knee, her claws digging in painfully. Then she used her hold to swing her entire body around into a massive double kick to his chest, appearing oddly like a gymnast on a pommel horse for a fraction of a second. Again, he barely managed to block the blow as the impossibly powerful legs slammed into him, launching him back ten feet to a skidding stop.</p><p>He nearly collapsed then, leaning forward to gingerly grasp his bleeding knee. The force of the blow had knocked him bodily away from her, leaving ten shallow gashes surrounding his knee from her stubborn refusal to simply release his limb. He had a dark feeling that if he weren’t in the shape he was in, he'd have lost his kneecap completely.</p><p>"Damn it!" he cursed loudly.</p><p>This was bad, this was unbelievably bad. Fighting back the pain, he stood straight and got into his fighting stance, carefully redistributing his weight to his good leg. Just in time, too! A pinkish blur of fur, fangs and claw was already hurtling in his direction. Even before he could think about it-</p><p>"<em>DON'T MOV</em><strong>-</strong>" Shit! He cut himself off, mid-yell. He'd sworn to never use that again! Even worse, it worked! The pink haired devil had stopped only a few feet before him, perfectly placed for a <em>Mouko Kaimon Ha</em>! It took every ounce of will power he had to prevent his body from following through on sheer instin-</p><p>A kick like a sledgehammer slammed into his completely unguarded chest with enough force to nearly bury him in the pavement. A gasp of pain, joined jovially by a rather liberal dose of blood, burst from his mouth. Hell... <em>this girl</em>, that kick could have knocked down a Tyrannosaurus! The blood from his lips joined the new batch of blood that was leaking from the four punctures in his chest as he sat there, half in a daze.</p><p>"D-damnit...," he coughed out weakly. Now his own instincts were screwing him over. He struggled to move his arm, even as the Cat girl came to crouch only a few inches in front of him, licking her lips in a most unsettling manner. In a rather embarrassing display, he swung at her, only to have her foot slam into his wrist and pin it painfully to the road. Her predatory smile only widened as she leaned in incredibly close, before drawing her strangely dry tongue up his cheek.</p><p>Still feeling rebellious, he growled harshly and tried to headbutt her, only to receive a backhand for his trouble, four shallow cuts opening on his cheek. He growled again. "If it weren't for Saotome, you'd already be dead..."</p><p>If he was hoping to start up a meaningful dialogue, his hope was dashed quickly. Rather than reply, the Cat girl simply opened her small mouth wide, revealing her startlingly long fangs for all the world to see. At the last second, he closed his eyes and looked away, fairly sure what was coming next-</p><p>A crack of thunder split the air.</p><p>Or at least that's what he thought it was. A fraction of a second later, an angry yowl nearly deafened him and the pressure on his wrist was suddenly gone, the oppressive heat of his opponent's breath vanished from his throat.</p><p>Uncertain of what was going on, he cracked open an eyelid and took in his surroundings. In front of him, roughly thirty feet away, was the Cat girl, clutching her shoulder tightly. Why she was doing that, he wasn't sure since her shoulder appeared to be completely fine from where he was. He quickly followed her line of sight; after all, if something had happened, then she would likely be looking at the cause.</p><p>There! Roughly thirty yards behind her was an older police officer wearing a very pale blue uniform. Heck, even the pants were pale blue. The officer wore a grim look on his face and held a smoking pistol in a double handed grip before him. Almost instantly, Ryu decided that he liked this man.</p><p>Ah, and ten feet behind the officer was a bitterly familiar figure, though wearing a matching pale blue outfit... Well, the outfits weren't matching, just the color, not that it was in anyway important, it just struck him as odd.</p><p>Damn, it irked him so, to be saved by the person that was almost solely responsible for ruining his life. Still, considering the alternative. He chuckled weakly to himself.</p><p>"Heh, about damned time, Ranma."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Daizo kept his gun trained on the distant figure of the brightly colored criminal. He still couldn't believe how fast she could move! He'd been aiming for center mass, but she'd practically blurred at the last second, and all he had done was graze her shoulder. If it weren't for the fact that it probably would have seriously injured the person they were just trying to save, he wished he'd used the laser cannon instead now.</p><p>He was getting <em>sick</em>and <em>tired</em> of these super criminals. They just weren't equipped to deal with this crap! They needed some... damn super squad... or something.</p><p>Without breaking eye contact with the magenta garbed female, he turned his head as much a possible and growled over his shoulder. "Okay, move in, Saotome, I've got you covered," he stated quickly.</p><p>His aim never wavered in the slightest as he kept his sights on the, judging by the property damage, extremely dangerous young woman...</p><p>And continued to keep his sights trained on her...</p><p>And continued to keep his sights trained on her...</p><p>And contin-</p><p>He turned angrily. "Damnit, Saotome! What the heck are you waiting for!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.</p><p>The sight that awaited him was not what he expected. The pigtailed boy was not standing at his shoulder; rather the boy was hanging back a good ten feet, veritably shaking like a leaf. What the heck was going on? Now was <em>not</em>the time for his secret weapon to be getting a panic attack. Wait, the kid seemed to be muttering something to himself.</p><p>
  <em>"c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c..."</em>
</p><p>Huh? "Um... Ranma, are you okay, kid?" he asked tentatively. If anything, the kid's shaking got worse and the boy lifted a trembling limb to point behind the Lieutenant.</p><p>Oh crap! He turned quickly, training his gun back on the -</p><p>He turned to see the attractive face of the exotic girl about three inches away from his, her slitted, feline eyes piercing his own. "Holy <em>Crap</em>!" If he hadn't already seen something completely shocking and disturbing that morning, he might have soiled his trousers right there. He desperately tried to fall backwards, just to get some space, when a hand clamped around his neck with the cold finality of a vice. He felt his feet leave the ground, giving him a rather vivid reminder of his first encounter with one of these super bastards.</p><p>"S-s-saotome, <em>now</em> would be good," he gasped out with great effort. The continued stuttering of the letter c was his only reply.</p><p><em>I swear,</em> he thought to himself right there, <em>if I get through this, I'm going to pistol whip that kid right upside the head!</em></p><p>A second later, the girl's face was right up in his once more. She looked at him intently, her nose wrinkling up rather cutely; apparently, she didn't like his aftershave.</p><p>"Did you say Saotome, Saotome Ranma?" she asked, her voice positively predatory.</p><p>He struggled to draw in breath, wheezing heavily. As soon as he got a good lungful, he answered the only way he knew how.</p><p>"N-no, I sa-said: <em>Screw you, She-Bitch</em>!" With that he unloaded five bullets right into her gut. Like hell Uehara Daizo was gonna go out a spineless snitch! He dropped to the ground a second later, gulping down air like it was an open bar. The Cat girl staggered back, clutching her ruined stomach. Five yen sized holes bled... bled a magenta-colored liquid that matched her hair and outfit perfectly.</p><p>Instantly, he thought of Mecha-Boi, hell, his uniform was still soaked in the cerulean liquid that had filled the robot boy. The feline female staggered back several more steps, before suddenly straightening out and smiling at him dangerously. In a flash, all five holes sealed instantly, flashing yellow, then blue, then red, before matching seamlessly with the rest of her outfit once more.</p><p>It was his turn to stagger back, shock so raw and pure that he could scarcely think straight blowing through his mind. T-t-that was the same power that Mecha-Boi had! But - but she wasn't a damn robot!</p><p>A second later, his panic was his undoing, as she was flying forward again. This time her claws led the way, he desperately tried to dive out of the way, but knew he'd never make it-</p><p>Something collided with him hard enough to empty his lungs of what little air he had remembered to gather just moments earlier. The world blurred dizzyingly for a second, before resolving enough to let him see the Cat girl slash her claws into and through the pavement where he had been half-crawling a second earlier.</p><p>"Ranma! You idiot, don't just stand there, do something!" bellowed an irate voice from close to his side.</p><p>Whoever was yelling, it seemed to get through to the panic-stricken martial artist. Ranma finally snapped out of whatever linguistic causality loop he'd been stuck in, turning to face the Cat girl that was now standing only ten feet away from him. Wait a moment, the look on the martial artist's face wasn't just panic anymore, it was full-blown-</p><p>"<em>CAAAT</em><strong>!</strong>"</p><p>... terror...</p><p>Faster than anything Daizo had ever seen that hadn't been fired from the barrel of a gun (and even that was debatable) Saotome turned and starting sprinting down the streets at a rate that most bats exiting the depths of hell would kill for.</p><p>The Cat girl struggled with indecision for a fraction of a second, her head swinging from the dust cloud that was once Ranma, to him and his savior, then back to the dust cloud. A fraction of a second after that, she was practically flying down the road herself.</p><p>Slowly, Daizo looked to his side, to the young man that had dragged him out of the way of that last attack. He was a relatively handsome young man, asides from the cuts on his cheek leaking blood all over the place. Had a bandanna keepin the hair out of his eyes for some reason, but that hardly seemed important. Something about the boy's eyes though, they screamed discipline and devotion.</p><p>Seemed like a good kid to him.</p><p>He gave the boy a questioning look, before looking to the heavens. Again, he drew in a lungful of life-giving oxygen. "What, oh by the gods, <em>what</em> kind of mental breakdown is my partner suffering from <em>now</em>?" he beseeched the gods above.</p><p>The young man just shook his head, looking just as confused himself.</p><p>"I honestly have <em>no</em> idea, officer."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The word cycled through his mind so quickly that it lost all meaning. If he weren't so busy doing just that thing, he probably would have started to notice what a strange little word 'run' was anyway... Of course, having a neon pink avatar representing everything that he feared and loathed suddenly fly, howling, out of the darkest pits of his nightmares and into a footrace with him... it did wonders for his focus.</p><p>Another yowl, impossibly sounding even closer this time, pushed his body harder than he'd imagined was possible. He leaned forward, his arms pistons, his legs were jackhammers; there was nothing else in the world except the road ahead of him and the abomination behind him. Conscious thought didn't even come into the equation, only pure instinct.</p><p>And one instinct was yelling more loudly than any other.</p><p>He absolutely, positively, <em>had</em> to find some cold-water, <em>now</em>!</p><p>He had no idea what was going on, where he was going, where he had come from, or what special and terrible hell had vomited out the creature that was pursuing him, but there was one thing that he knew with crystal clarity: There was <em>no</em> way that he wanted to go 'Cat' around that thing that was chasing him while he was still a boy!</p><p>There was only one thought in all the world that terrified him more than the thought of being viciously mauled by hordes of cats... and he couldn't even bring himself to think about it, because he was sure if he started throwing up in mid sprint, 'messy' would be a pretty shallow descriptor for the disaster that would soon follow. The tiny and very, very desperate part of his mind that still retained just enough awareness to take in his surroundings suddenly found a solution.</p><p>There was one-</p><p>Damn! He was already past it! A second later, he saw another one-</p><p>Damn! He was running too fast, that one had vanished in a blur as well. He focused everything he had to change his trajectory just a few inches.</p><p>Damn! Missed that one by a few inches! The gleaming red metal taunted him maddeningly. His panic started to blossom beyond his control, he could practically feel the beast's breath on the back of his neck.</p><p><em>Manomanoman</em>! He'd get the next one for sure! If he didn't, he was dead!... A sudden thought, almost a foreign concept by this point, entered his mind.</p><p>... Oh gods... this was going to <em>hurt</em>...</p><p>The scream of tearing metal, crumbling masonry, and rumbling water drowned out his own scream of pain rather nicely. The hydrant collapsed under his charge in a manner reminiscent to most pop cans, the collision sending him... now her, slamming face first into the pavement with punishing force, as almost all his forward momentum instantly converted into <em>straight down</em> momentum.</p><p>... <em>daaamn</em>... how did that Lost Moron do this all the time? Running headlong into infrastructure hurt like hell! Unfortunately, the geyser of water scant inches behind her was spraying her liberally with water and making it difficult for her to simply fall unconscious. Spraying curses liberally herself, she sat up, wincing at every small flare of pain that blossomed across her abused body.</p><p>Now... why the hell had she done that again? In retrospect, running headfirst into a fire hydrant seemed like an incredibly stupid thing to do... She giggled to herself. Oh yeah! She was being chased by a murderous Cat girl!</p><p>Chased by a <em>murderous Cat girl</em>?</p><p>Ranma was on her feet, aches and pains be damned! The feline terror had practically been breathing down her neck when she'd plowed into the hydrant... So why wasn't she already sans eyeballs and intestines? Hmm, that was odd... The red head wearing the blue outfit turned around cautiously, scanning the streets.</p><p>She tried to stretch out her senses... not that she really <em>wanted</em> to find the snarling beast, but it was damn weird that she would just vanish after chasing him so far. Hmm, there was a fading sense of... something, but it was dispersing quickly. Really, whatever it was, it could have been anything, nothing that he could tie to his pursuer in any concrete fashion.</p><p>Finally, the petite female shrugged her shoulders and started making her way back down the street to meet her partner. Actually... she really hoped he'd bring the squad car around, she really didn't wanna walk to whole way back.</p><p>Still, where the hell had that Cat girl gone?</p><p>She didn't even notice the last traces of magenta tainted water slipping into the sewers.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>About an hour later, the three of them were back at the precinct, washed changed and bandaged after their various ordeals. Ranma sighed happily, dropping the towel that he'd just dried his hair with around his shoulders. It was good to be a guy again, it was just too bad he didn't have a spare change of clothes with him, but the spare uniform he'd borrowed from that Kaneda guy seemed to fit pretty well.</p><p>He was perched on the corner of the Lieutenant's desk, said Lieutenant seated comfortably in his chair on the other side of said desk. Uehara had finally gotten rid of his stained uniform, now wearing a simple pair of black trousers and a white shirt. The long brown trench coat and matching fedora were new but seemed to suit the older man. The officer also let out a weary sigh.</p><p>Sitting in a chair at one of the many empty desks, was Ryu. The guy had also changed out of his ruined clothes, replaced by another set from his convenient backpack. The only differences were the bandages on the guy's cheek and forearms... and those were only the ones he could see. Whoever that girl had been, she'd really worked the guy over... which kind of made him wonder how well <em>he</em> would have done against her if it had come to that. He'd like to think he'd have done better, anyway.</p><p>The Lieutenant finally broke the tense silence that reigned over them. "So, Kumon, that's the situation as we see it so far." The older man looked to be studying the other martial artist seriously, waiting for a response.</p><p>He would have to wait, though, as another officer suddenly barged in on their conversation. The new officer, Suzahara from what he'd heard, slapped a folder onto Uehara's desk, a dark look on his face. "Looks like you've got your first fatality here, Uehara. "</p><p>"<em>What</em>?"</p><p>Ranma's shout of shock was quickly followed by Ryu's</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>The homicide officer looked at the both of them, a serious expression on his face. He then turned to focus on Ryu for some reason. "Some rich lady was murdered. She was living in an apartment pretty much right on top of where your fight broke out. Time of death was probably only a few minutes before the assailant went after you. No idea what the motive was, yet, but I'm not even gonna say what we found in there," muttered Suzahara.</p><p>The Lieutenant nodded grimly, picking up the folder and absently leafing through its contents. "All the more reason for us to find out what's going on here." If the older man was at all fazed by what he saw in the folder, he didn't show it.</p><p>Ranma wasn't sure what had shocked him more, the fact that someone had died, or the cold indifference which the Lieutenant displayed over it. Sure, he hadn't seen the body, and logically knew that there was nothing he could have done to stop it... but still, no one had ever died from one of his escapades before and that was exactly how he had seen this entire thing until this point. Sure, it had been a bit more serious lately, but it was just another set of random goons coming out trying to beat him in a fight, nothing he wasn't used to.</p><p>Suddenly, this game didn't seem fun anymore...</p><p>A moment later, Lieutenant Uehara dropped the folder back down on his desk. "I don't know what it is yet, but there's a connection between our last two villains. Heck, I bet all our recent villains are connected. We just gotta figure out how they're connected, how many more of them there might be, and if possible, who are they all working for."</p><p>Ranma and the homicide officer nodded in agreement. The pig tailed martial artist did his best to shake off the morbid train of thought and get back into a more analytical mindset. He wasn't gonna help anyone if he freaked out now. Slowly, he started to think about everything that had happened up to that point.</p><p>It had all been so random initially, but things had been falling into place more and more lately. All the criminals had that stupid color scheme thing going, something that they hadn't even thought about until now. Then, the first one, Saico-Tek, had been targeting the police, as had the second and third. The last two hadn't been targeting police, though. Mecha-Boi and that Cat girl had been after him, the Cat girl even asking for him by name.</p><p>So, someone was targeting law enforcement agents and anyone that associated with them. Then, of course, the real clincher, the fact that these last two shared the same ability to instantly regenerate their wounds. It made it obvious that, if anything, they all had some common source to their abilities.</p><p>Unfortunately, there were a hell of a lot more unanswered questions than there were answered ones. Why had Mecha-Boi burst into a puddle of liquid? Why had the Cat girl attacked people that obviously weren't police or him? Why were they all taking turns for that matter? Ranma shook his head, starting to feel a headache coming on. So, instead, he turned back to the conversation between Uehara and Ryu.</p><p>"So, will you help us out with this, Kumon? You're the only other person we've seen, besides Saotome here, that can go toe to toe with these things. Things are getting more serious by the day; people are dying now, kid. Your assistance could be vital in stopping these bastards before they can kill again," stated the Lieutenant seriously.</p><p>Ryu matched the officer's gaze just as intently. The homeless warrior looked like he was considering the request very seriously, possibly even like he would accept it... Until the boy's gaze slid over to catch his own. Ranma nearly groaned at the resentful glare that formed in the boy's eyes as they locked gazes. A second later, Ryu swung back to Lieutenant Uehara.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Uehara, but as you saw, I'm unable to fight at my full capabilities anymore. The way I am now, I'd likely just get in your way against such dangerous opponents." Ryu then rose to his feet and began to shoulder his pack once more. Almost as an afterthought, the headband wearing youth nodded in Ranma's direction. "Besides, there's no way in hell that I'd ever work with that bastard. You two are on your own."</p><p>There was no way that Ranma was gonna let that one slide. Where the hell was all this hostility coming from? He'd thought they'd parted on relatively friendly terms... as far as such a thing was for him.</p><p>"What's the problem, Ryu, ya get beaten up by a girl and now you're too scared to fight anymore?"</p><p><em>That</em> did it. With a snarl, the former master of the Yamasen-ken spun to face him. "Go to Hell, Saotome! If it weren't for that damned promise you forced me to make, I would have dealt with that girl easily!"</p><p>Ranma waved his hand dismissively. "You're jokin, right? That was nearly a year ago. You tellin me you ain't gotten over that yet?" Sheesh, how lame could one guy get?</p><p>Apparently, it wasn't the right thing to say, as Ryu stormed forward, twisting a fist tightly into his shirt. Ranma met the other guy's stare evenly. "You don't understand, you jerk! I spent all my <em>life</em> mastering the Yamasen-ken. You didn't just make me seal away a technique, you made me abandon the very heart of my fighting style, you forced me to betray the dying wish of my father!" With a savage push, Ryu shoved him back and spun away again. "Why the hell am I even talking to you?"</p><p>The other boy then acknowledged the Lieutenant again. "Like I said, I'm sorry, mister. I'd like to help, but I'd just get in your way as I am. Maybe, someday, I'll find or develop something to replace the Yamasen-ken, but until then, I am a crippled man."</p><p>Lieutenant Uehara turned his way, shooting him a questioning look. Ranma could only sigh in response. Ryu did have a point, even without the Yamasen-ken, he was likely good enough to wipe the floor with most martial artists but asking him to help against such powerful and dangerous opponents without it just wasn't fair. It'd almost be like someone telling him to give up the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling.</p><p>Still, Ryu was by far the best fighter he knew in Nerima now (besides himself, of course), it would be a waste to let him leave like this.</p><p>"Ryu... wait a sec."</p><p>He wasn't sure why the other boy stopped, perhaps it was the tone in his voice, or maybe the guy was just naturally curious, but whatever the reason, stop he did. Without turning, Ryu fired a brief interrogative over his shoulder.</p><p>"Ryu, we really need your help with this. You gotta stay and help us," he not-quite pleaded.</p><p>An amused snort escaped his former enemy's lips. "I don't <em>gotta</em> do anything. I don't like you, Saotome, never have, so why should I he-"</p><p>"Shut the <em>hell</em> up!" he yelled, angrily cutting Ryu off. He swung his arm out, punctuating his frustrated point. "I don't give a crap if you hate me! This isn't about me and it ain't about you! Ryu, people are <em>dyin</em> here, man. Is your pride or my honor more important than that, are you willin to let people get killed just because you <em>don't like me</em>?" he spat out.</p><p>A look of shame descended upon the Kumon-heir's face at that declaration. Ryu looked away, unable to keep his gaze.</p><p>"Look, Saotome Ranma don't lose, not to no one and not to no thing. I've never hidden the fact that I'll do anything it takes to win, and that ain't gonna change now that people's lives are on the line. I don't know who's behind all this stuff, but I do know that me and the Lieutenant ain't gonna be able to handle it alone. If getting your help might stop even one more person from dyin, then I'll do whatever it takes to get that help. And if lettin you use the Yamasen-ken is what it takes to get you to help us, then that's what I'll do!"</p><p>Ryu spun around at <em>that</em>, his eyes becoming veritable dinner plates as he stared in shock. Almost instantly, Kumon was inches away from him, fists clenched into his shirt desperately.</p><p>"You-you would do that? You would unseal the Yamasen-ken if I agreed to help you?" he asked, just as desperately.</p><p>Ranma let out a long sigh, he wasn't completely sure about this. Ryu was right though; he wouldn't be much help if he were still struggling to rebuild his own style from the ground up. These enemies weren't the type to let you walk away and learn from your mistakes. After all, not even <em>he</em> won <em>every</em> fight...</p><p>Another sigh, "Not... exactly." He ignored Ryu's raised eyebrow. "Look, the Yamasen-ken is still a dangerous art, too dangerous for normal use. I'll allow you to use it if you agree to several conditions," he stated seriously.</p><p>Ryu released him, slowly moving back to lean against another desk. The look in the boy's eyes shifted from joyous to calculating as he prepared to hear the demands. Ranma obliged him quickly.</p><p>"First, the Yamasen-ken is still a sealed art, so you have to promise not to teach it to anyone else," he began. Ryu nodded easily. Of course, Ranma knew that Ryu was smart enough to see the loophole there. He couldn't force the boy to not teach any techniques that he innovated that were based on the style after all. Ryu wasn't a lazy thief like his old man, so if he did reinvent the style to suit himself, he imagined it could form a higher and nobler art in the long run.</p><p>"Second, you must <em>promise </em>to <em>only </em>use it in matters of life and death. That means no running around and challenging anyone you feel like. Only when your life is in danger, like it was today, got it?"</p><p>The fatigue wearing boy didn't seem quite as happy about this limitation. It took several more seconds of contemplation before he finally, and grudgingly, nodded. If he agreed to join them, it wasn't like he wasn't going to have any shortage of chances to use it. The most important thing was that Ryu would be allowed to practice the art once more.</p><p>"Fine, Saotome, I'll accept your terms, but only because of the severity of the circumstances. I only have one condition of my own," Ryu replied, a wicked smile beginning to spread on his lips.</p><p>His own condition? Ranma grumbled at that, Ryu wasn't exactly in a position to be making demands after how generous he'd been. "What's that?"</p><p>Ryu's smile only widened. "When we run into that Cat girl again... she's mine."</p><p>Ranma nearly laughed out loud at that demand. That was one ultimatum that the Saotome heir would only be <em>too </em>glad to agree with. Happy with the deal, or happy enough anyway, he nodded and offered his hand to the master of the Noisy Thief. Ryu returned his weary smile and took the offered hand in and shook it once.</p><p>Behind them, the Lieutenant let out a sarcastic groan. "Oh, happy days are here again; the bitter enemies are friends again. Sheesh, can we cut all the Nancy boy 'warrior rival' crap and start acting like we're living in the twentieth century again?" muttered the older man.</p><p>The cop only grinned in the face of the combined power of their withering gazes. Some people just didn't appreciate a warrior's bond anymore. "And while we're on the subject," continued the aging officer.</p><p>"What the hell is a Yamasen-ken?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun spread out his arms and relished the distant walls and high ceilings of his newest lair. The abandoned warehouse was perfect for his needs... Of course, he used the term abandoned loosely, considering it had only become <em>abandoned </em>about an hour and a half earlier. He didn't even feel any remorse for the warehouse workers that he had snuffed out, either. But then, it wasn't like they were important characters. They had been killed out of panel, anyway, so their deaths were pretty much meaningless to the story.</p><p>What he <em>was</em> disappointed with, was the rather ignoble fate that had befallen his latest minion. Reduced to so much ink by a fire hydrant? He was trying to write a tragedy here, not a comedy. Of course, she hadn't been completely useless; she had revealed some very interesting information before she had been annihilated.</p><p>So, the black haired Saotome boy and the red-haired girl were one and the same. It hardly made sense, but that didn't really matter anymore, if anyone understood the transformative powers of magic, it was him. More importantly, was how <em>boring</em> it was! The boy turned into a girl when he got wet? Where was the crippling weakness, where was the sensational transformation sequence? Brushogun wasn't even certain that it was something that even merited a scheme; really, what was he going to do, embarrass the boy at school? It was just pathetic!</p><p>The fear of cats though, that was just absurd enough to be funny. Who in their right minds was afraid of <em>cats</em>? Not just afraid, but full-blown phobia terrified. It was amusing enough to think about, but then, he did hate the idea of a repeat performance. He'd have to think of another way to come at his nemesis with the feline motif.</p><p>Oh well, he might have lost the battle, but he was one step closer to winning the war. The Ink Demon turned to face the north, seeing something far beyond the simple confines of his warehouse lair. Somewhere, deep within the heart of the Nerima district...</p><p>From a bird's-eye view, Brushogun watched Saotome Ranma and the unusual boy from earlier enter the back door or a rather nice dojo.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"And <em>that</em>, Akane, is why Ryu is currently training in the dojo," Ranma finally finished, wheezing heavily for breath.</p><p>The blue haired girl stared at the pigtailed boy, still trying to take in the entire retelling of the boy's day. It all just seemed so surreal to her. Now, more so than ever, she was certain of her decision to stay out of this business.</p><p>"You mean, someone was actually <em>murdered</em> by that Cat girl?" she asked, still not believing it. It was just too terrifying to contemplate. Logically, she knew that people like the Headmaster were terrible people, more than capable of killing to fulfill their aims, but she had never actually heard about anyone getting killed before like this.</p><p>Was this the new kind of enemy that her fiancé was getting involved with?</p><p>Ranma just nodded, a somber look on his face. "Yeah, it hardly seems real to me, either. That's why I was so adamant about getting Ryu to help us. The guy's a jerk, but he's actually good enough to fight these things on the same level I do... now that he can use the Yamasen-ken again."</p><p>She shook her head, still bewildered about that as well. It wasn't like Ranma to go back on his word like that. For him to do something that so flagrantly went against his sense of honor, it was a powerful indication of just how seriously he was taking the latest twist of this situation. Internally, she was relieved to know that he wasn't just looking at this like another game, like he had when they had gone to rescue her sisters. She knew that he knew just how dangerous these people were now.</p><p>"Well, if these people are as dangerous as you say, then why don't you unseal the Umisen-ken as well? You should be using every possible advantage you can get, and the Umisen-ken is incredibly powerful," she asked in concern.</p><p>He nodded slowly, but then his nods dissolved into a negative shake of his head. "Naw, I'd thought of that, but I swore to seal the Umisen-ken up, and I intend to honor that," he replied.</p><p>"What? But why not? You've already unsealed one art, why not the other?"</p><p>Ranma let out a resigned sigh. "But I didn't unseal it, not really anyway. Ya see, the only reason that I'm letting Ryu use it, is because he <em>needs</em> to. To me, the Umisen-ken is just another set of techniques, but to him, the Yamasen-ken is the heart of his entire style. Asking him to help me when he can't even fight at his full potential, it'd be pretty much asking him to commit suicide," he tried to explain to her.</p><p>She wasn't quite getting it yet though. "But Umisen-ken is the more powerful art, sure, it might not be central to your style, but it could only help you in a fight," she felt her growing concern mirror in her voice.</p><p>The pigtailed boy smiled then, a sagely smile that just screamed 'I know something you don't, Grasshopper'. He lifted a hand up and raised a finger, as if illustrating that he had a point to make. "Ahh, Akane, that's not what my pops said at all. He said that the Umisen-ken is the <em>higher</em> art, which it is. The silent thief relies on much more refined and subtle techniques than the noisy thief, but in all honesty, the Yamasen-ken is the more powerful art of the two."</p><p>She replied in the only way she could. "Huh? But your Silent Thief defeated his Noisy Thief, how could his style be more powerful?" This wasn't making any sense to her at all, and less sense by the second.</p><p>Ranma nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I did, but think about it, Akane. Of course, the Umisen-ken beat the Yamasen-ken; pretty much all the Umisen-ken maneuvers are direct counters to the Yamasen-ken techniques. I don't know why pops did something as dumb as create one style, then create a second one which seemed to be solely designed to counter that style, but that's what he did.</p><p>"Aside from the Umisen-ken opening move and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist, each move is pretty much tailor made to counter the Yamasen-ken maneuvers. I mean: The Armored Door Splitting Fang Failure counters the Welcome Gate Iron Fang Fingers. The Self-Protection Shooting Star Cloth is a counter to the Jewel Held in One's Pocket Kill, which is followed up by the Carp-Fish Body flip and the High Mountain Reverse Sea Ability. And, most telling, the Demon-Guardian Searching the Sea Wrap is specifically designed to counter the First-Rate Demon God Assault Bomb, heck, I can't even imagine another situation where that move would work yet."</p><p>Akane was forced to nod, she remembered the fight keenly. She remembered how he'd used those very counters, even commented on how they had all linked together so well. It was obvious that Ranma had a much better understanding of the techniques than she did.</p><p>While she was contemplating that, he continued his lecture, apparently enjoying educating her. "I mean, when you think about it, the Yamasen-ken's attacks can work on anyone, they're all direct attacks. The Demon God Assault Bomb is enough proof of just how powerful and destructive of a style it is. So, yeah, while the Umisen-ken is a higher art, the Yamasen-ken is definitely the more powerful of the two."</p><p>She wasn't ready to give up on the discussion yet. If there was any way that using those sealed techniques could help keep her fiancé safe, then she wanted him to use them. "Then why not just use the opening move and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist? If you had the ability to turn invisible, that'd make you much less likely to be hurt, wouldn't it? And then you could spy on the bad guys, sneak past security cameras and all that kind of stuff. It would be very helpful in tracking down these criminals, wouldn't it?"</p><p>This time, Ranma shook his head in disagreement. "The opening of the Umisen-ken doesn't actually work like that, dummy. It doesn't make me invisible, it just erases my presence," he explained carefully.</p><p>She scratched her head, just interested enough in his answer to let the dummy comment slide for now. "What's the difference? Either way, your enemy can't see you, right?"</p><p>Another head shake. "Wrong. It just means they can't follow my movements. As my pops said, the secret of the Umisen-ken is to make yourself invisible to your opponent, then attack from where your opponent can't see you coming. You accomplish that by, first, hiding your ki, and then by slipping into their blind spot when a distraction allows. Because of the speed training of the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist and the suppression of my ki, I'm fast enough to literally vanish into a person's blind spots and stay there. Why do you think all the follow up attacks come from behind? If I were able to become invisible, I could just walk up to my opponent and punch them in the face.</p><p>"And the security camera thing is just way out, like I said, I don't go invisible, just the next best thing. So, yeah, I agree with you, using the Umisen-ken would probably help me out, but unlike Ryu, I don't <em>need </em>to use it. Sure, it's great, but not powerful enough to make me unseal it at this point. Not to mention the fact that I'm not even sure it would work on these guys, I mean, Mecha-Boi was a robot, so I don't think hiding my spirit would have helped one way or the other..." Ranma trailed off slowly, she could practically see the gears in his head turning. It was obvious that he'd piqued his own curiosity as to the various applications of his own technique.</p><p>She knew he was downplaying the usefulness of the Silent Thief style, probably in an attempt to convince <em>himself </em>that he didn't need it, but he had made some valid points. And really, as much as she wanted to state she was as skilled as anyone else in Nerima, she didn't even know a fraction of the theory behind any of his techniques to argue him on any of his points. Even if she did, her stubborn fiancé would likely prove her wrong in short order, anyway. After all, he had learned the technique after seeing it just once, she'd watched an entire battle and she still didn't have the slightest clue how it was done.</p><p>"Fine, Ranma, fine. I won't argue with you anymore. I was just concerned for your welfare was all, no need to turn it into a lecture," she grumbled lightly. "You just better make sure that Ryu doesn't destroy the dojo while he's practicing his moves. I think one dojo destroyed by your father's legacy is enough, don't you?"</p><p>Ranma's good natured laugh brought a little smile to her face as well. "Ya got that right. Though it'd be a good excuse as any to give the Old Man another beating."</p><p>Any further discussion was derailed, as a sudden knocking at the front door startled the both of them. Akane looked up to the clock thoughtfully. "Hmm, it's in the evening, who could be visiting us at this hour?" she asked, honestly confused. Most of the people that tended to come by at odd hours were half a world away now.</p><p>Ranma just shrugged in response, as lost as she was. Well, she didn't want to be rude. A second later, she hopped up to her feet and went to answer the door. Another knock came as she made her way over. "Just a moment! I'm coming!" she called out to their mysterious visitors. As stated, a moment later she arrived at the front door. She took a moment to straighten out her outfit and hair, wanting to look her best for any company, then opened the door, a Kasumi-esque smile on her face.</p><p>"Oh, my! It's you!"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane took a moment to straighten out her clothing and hair as she stood before the front door. After all, she wanted to look her best for their visitors... whoever they may be. Finally, happy with her primping, she opened the door, a Kasumi-esque smile on her face.</p><p>The sight of the trio standing before her caused the smile to drop from her face so fast that it nearly broke her toe. Still shocked, she just blurted out the first thing she could think of, given the circumstances.</p><p>"Oh, my! It's you!"</p><p>The tallest of the trio, a rather stern looking police officer, took a step forward and bowed formally. He then straightened out and looked at her intently. "Excuse me, Miss, but is this the Tendo Dojo?" he asked politely.</p><p>She nodded absently for a moment, before suddenly finding her senses, and stuttering out a response. "O-of course it is. May I ask what brings you here?"</p><p>What brings him here? What kind of stupid question was that? It was blatantly obvious why the officer was here, considering who he was shepherding around. The better question would be: what were <em>they</em> doing here? And with a police escort no less?</p><p>"Well, Miss Tendo... it is Miss Tendo, correct?" he asked, again in that polite tone. She replied with a simple nod, motioning for him to continue.</p><p>"Well, Miss Tendo, Lieutenant Uehara put out an All Points Bulletin, he was very insistent on talking to these two young ladies." He gestured to the two young ladies that accompanied him. The older of the two wore her extravagantly long brunette hair in a sinuous ponytail, while her sharply cut bangs nearly hung over her narrow, chestnut eyes. The younger of the two tamed her rather wild, shoulder length brown hair with a long red ribbon tied into a large, cute bow at the back of her head. Both were wearing sailor uniforms, the former's a navy-blue affair and the latter's a more traditional white and blue uniform. They each carried a large sack before them, as well, which carried all their worldly possessions.</p><p>Both girls seemed to be slightly confused about the situation as well. But while the older girl wore a cool, neutral expression, the younger girl wore a hopeful look on her adorable face. They were both mindful of the officer though, and refrained from giving any form of greeting yet, aside from the elder sister's simple nod of recognition.</p><p>The officer chuckled weakly, drawing Akane's attention back to him. "You wouldn't believe the favors that the Lieutenant had to pull in on this. They were found by the Yokohama police force. Heh, but that's enough of that. We were told, once we found these two, to bring them here, to the Tendo Dojo."</p><p>She nodded, starting to piece the puzzle together in her head. "Did Lieutenant Uehara tell you why they were supposed to be brought here?" She hated to ask the question, especially right in front of her two guests, but she had an odd feeling she already knew the answer. Of course, she knew that Kasumi would never have been so rude to anyone...</p><p>The officer scratched the back of his head. "Well, he didn't give out many details, but he said that it was extremely urgent. Also, there is apparently a Saotome Ranma residing here, and that he would apprise them of the situation."</p><p>Akane hid her hands in the folds of her skirt, desperately hiding her painfully clenching fists. So <em>that</em> was what that phone call that Ranma had made over a week ago had been about. Was he really so desperate for help that he sent busy police officers scouring the entire country looking for her wayward sisters? It appeared that she would have to... <em>talk</em>... to her fiancé about this.</p><p>The officer stared at her oddly for a moment, perhaps taking in the strained smile on her face. A moment later, the tall man simply shrugged. "Well, if everything is in order then, I'll leave these two ladies in your care." He then turned to the two girls and bowed to each one. "Miss Natsume, Miss Kurumi, I thank you for your cooperation in this situation. I hope that you haven't been too inconvenienced by this."</p><p>Natsume returned the bow, even returning a weak smile of her own. "Not at all, Officer Tsukino. You have been extremely professional and generous in your conduct. My sister and I both thank you for bringing us here so quickly."</p><p>Kurumi, on the other hand, was not so reserved. The lightning-fast young girl ran forward and hugged the poor officer tightly. "Thank you for buying us all of those snacks as well, Officer! They were delicious!" she cried out happily. A moment later she released the man and fell back into step with her sister. Officer Tsukino chuckled happily once more, before waving farewell to all of them.</p><p>"Have a nice evening, ladies."</p><p>And then he was gone. Akane turned back to her not-quite-sisters. Well, it appeared that her initial conclusion about the two of them being in trouble with the law had been completely wrong. Now the youngest true Tendo felt bad for being so rude in her greeting earlier. Bowing deeply to Natsume and Kurumi, she gave them both her first real smile since seeing them at the door.</p><p>"Please, come in. We have a lot of catching up to do!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu casually draped the towel around his neck as he exited the dojo. He'd built up quite a sweat during his workout, but it had felt damn good to be practicing his true fighting style after so long. Of course, it would take him a little while to get back up to full speed, but it had surprised him how quickly many of the movements had returned to him. He just couldn't wait to run into that damned Catgirl again. At their next meeting, he would show her the <em>true</em> terror of the Yamasen-ken.</p><p>And then he'd kill her.</p><p>A grim smile spread across his lips. Whatever that feline monster had been, it wasn't human; no human could have possibly done what that Catgirl had done to that unfortunate woman that it had attacked before it came after him. He swore, right then and there, that he would avenge not only his defeat, but also her life, the next time that he crossed paths with that fanged terror.</p><p>Without another thought, he entered the dining room, absently using a corner of the towel to brush some errant sweat from his bangs. Ranma was already there, sitting at the table and munching on a pork bun from the large bowl set at the center of the said table. Silently, the fatigue wearing warrior strode over and dropped down at the head of the table, grabbing one of the morsels for himself. After his first bite, he noticed a tiny detail.</p><p>"Hey, where's that Akane girl? I thought you were explaining the whole situation to her?"</p><p>Ranma turned a rather lackadaisical eye his way and simply shrugged before taking another bite from his pork bun. After chewing for a small eternity, possibly just <em>trying </em>to annoy him, the pigtailed boy finally swallowed the food and answered. "Someone's at the door."</p><p>Well, a simple enough answer he supposed. Of course, the <em>way</em> that his companion answered made him want to club him upside the head, but he figured there would be plenty of time for that later. Not really feeling up to chit chatting with the architect of his greatest defeat, he scanned the rest of the room for something more entertaining to pass the time with.</p><p>Hmm, there was a pile of comic books sitting at the end of the table. Come to think of it, Akane had been reading them when Ranma and he had arrived a few hours ago. It seemed like an unusually normal hobby for someone to have that lived in the same world of martial arts than he and Ranma did, if only for the fact that the life of a wandering martial artist generally didn't lend itself to having any money to spend on such a frivolous thing.</p><p>His stare lingered on the colorfully designed cover of the manga that sat at the top of the stack. It was a girl's comic and it certainly looked like it, but then, it was that or talk to <em>Ranma</em>.</p><p>Well, that was no decision at all, really. He reached out slowly, purposefully ignoring the trailing eyes of the actual Saotome. Sailor Moon, eh? That didn't even make sense... there wasn't any water on the moon; sure, there were seas and such, but he was fairly sure it wasn't meant literally.</p><p>The girl on the cover was cute though. He was about to break down and open the cover, when -</p><p>Suddenly, Akane stormed into the room, an equally stormy expression on her face. Without even slowing, the young woman strode up to and straight past the table, not even slowing as she grabbed her fiancé's pigtail in a death grip and started dragging him out of the room!</p><p>Ryu quickly dropped the girly comic and turned to watch the spectacle. He smiled widely at Ranma's strangled cries of pain as he slid helplessly across the floor; this certainly seemed more entertaining than reading. Almost as an afterthought, Akane looked back at him over her shoulder.</p><p>"Hey, Ryu. Could you please entertain Natsume and Kurumi for me? I need to <em>talk </em>to Ranma." That said, she continued out of the room. He could only nod, for fear of bursting out in laughter at the sight. Suddenly a series of thumps filled the air, almost like something heavy being dragged up a set of stairs.</p><p><em>'Well, better him than me</em>,' he thought to himself.</p><p>Still, Akane seemed like a nice girl, and she'd been nice enough to feed him, so he figured entertaining her friends was the least he could... do...</p><p>His casual turn back to the entranceway slowed down to a glacial crawl as he got his first look at the two girls that Akane had asked him to entertain.</p><p>He glossed over the shorter girl in a flash. Sure, she was cute enough, but looked too young for his taste and, well, too <em>cute</em>. Where his stare had passed over her in a fraction of a moment, though, it lingered dangerously on the older girl.</p><p>There wasn't anything cute about her, from her unbelievably long ponytail to her narrow, intense chestnut eyes. And was that a... rug beater strapped to her back?</p><p>Just moments before he could catch himself for staring, both sisters suddenly bowed politely to him.</p><p>"Greetings, Mr. Hibiki, it is pleasant to meet you again," she spoke in an extremely formal tone, her voice surprisingly rich. A fraction of a second later, the younger girl flew forward and planted herself at the table, nearly slavering at the sight of the bowl containing the pork buns. Her eyes were saucers of glistening joy and a high pitch squeal escaped the kid's throat. He chuckled to himself; she must have been hungry to get that worked up over some food...</p><p>Wait a second!</p><p>"Wait a second! Who's Mr. Hibiki? My name is Kumon Ryu," he stated in obvious confusion. He aimed his inquiry at the young woman with the rug beater, not expecting any useful reply from the food obsessed girl sitting in front of him.</p><p>She rose from her bow at that and suddenly did a double take as she looked at him again. An actual embarrassed expression bloomed on her face, something that didn't seem quite natural for such a forceful looking young woman, and she bowed quickly again.</p><p>"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Kumon!" She rose from her apologetic bow, apparently studying him more intently this time. "It's just that you bear a passing resemblance to a young man that was here the last time we were here. When I saw your bandanna, I just automatically assumed... please forgive me for my presumption."</p><p>Ah, so that was it, an honest mistake. No need for him to get offended. Though it was funny that he would get a case of mistaken identity after having stolen someone else's identity for so long. He decided to give the young woman a casual smile to try to put her at ease. He then gestured for her to sit down next to him, which she did obligingly.</p><p>"That's okay, these things happen, especially to me, lately. By the way, what's your name? I know one of you is Natsume and one of you is Kurumi, but not which is which, heh," he asked conversationally. The girl's cheeks suddenly burned red with embarrassment once again.</p><p>"How rude of me! Not only did I mistake you for someone else, but I also forgot to introduce my sister and myself. My name is Natsume and my sister's name is Kurumi," she explained sheepishly. Ryu smiled, Natsume, eh? The name suddenly seemed so much more appealing now that he had a face to attach it to. Of course, not wanting to seem rude himself, he turned to Kurumi and gave her a polite nod as well -</p><p>Wait another second!</p><p>"Hey... wasn't that bowl full of pork buns just a second ago?"</p><p>"Hee hee, I'm sorry, Mr. Kumon, did you want some more?" replied the younger sister in that overly sweet voice of hers. He just shook his head in disbelief... how had she…?</p><p>He shook his head again, apparently, he'd underestimated just how starved these girls had been.</p><p>"Um... no, I'm fine." If the girl was really that hungry, he couldn't really hold it against her, now could he. Oh well, at least he had gotten one, anyway.</p><p>With one last shrug, he turned back to Natsume, just in time to catch her studying him out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't the appraising look that he was used to getting from young women, though; she almost seemed to be analyzing him with those cool, penetrating eyes. If he didn't know better, he'd guess that she was trying to gauge whether he was a martial artist or not.</p><p>Well, he decided to return the favor. His own analysis took only a single second, and as soon as he finished, he asked the most obvious question he could think of. Smiling widely now, he leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand, facing Natsume directly.</p><p>"So, how did you do against him?"</p><p>Natsume looked at him oddly for a moment. "Excuse me? Whatever are you talking about?"</p><p>His smile only widened at that. "How did your fight against Saotome go? It's obvious that you're a martial artist, and probably a good one at that. I'm assuming you must have fought him at some point," he stated confidently.</p><p>The ponytail wearing girl stared at him oddly again, before a small smile finally formed on her lips. It was, he decided, a rather unique smile. "Very well, but then <em>you</em> must tell me how you fared," she replied, an interesting note in her voice that he couldn't place for the life of him.</p><p>He nodded, feeling a tiny twinge of competitiveness blooming inside him. He was sure that his story would be better, but she seemed to be very certain of herself. "Sure, fair is fair, after all."</p><p>The proper young woman settled in for her upcoming storytelling session. A far away look began to enter her eyes as the memories flooded back to her.</p><p>"Well, our first battle went exceptionally well; neither Ranma nor Akane could even <em>touch</em> us..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma grumbled loudly as he sat on his bed. Gingerly he rubbed the back of his head, trying to sooth the pain of being dragged up the stairs by his pigtail.</p><p>"Sheesh, Akane, what the heck did ya do <em>that</em> for?" he asked bitterly. He'd thought they'd been getting along well lately.</p><p>Akane stopped her pacing across the room to glare at him. "<em>Hmph</em>, as if you <em>didn't</em> know. You had the police hunt down Natsume and Kurumi and drag them all the way here, against their will, just so they could help you fight these new enemies of yours? That must be one of the most<em>selfish</em>things you've ever <em>done</em>! Didn't you even consider their feelings in all of this, or that they might have had something important they were doing?" she breathed out in a huff.</p><p>Ranma reeled slightly at that... The cops had brought them right to the <em>dojo</em>?</p><p>Oh gods, Nabiki was going to <em>kill him</em>!</p><p>Suddenly, Akane's rather heated statement didn't seem quite as intimidating as usual. Still, he figured he'd better answer, lest the girl get even angrier. After all, he could always wail in despair over the hell Nabiki would likely make his life later, in private.</p><p>"Sheesh, 'Kane. I figured you'd be <em>happy</em> to see them again. Besides, it ain't like they were dragged here, I just told Lieutenant Uehara to ask them if they could help me out. If they're here, that means it was their choice to come," he fired back, feeling strangely confident in his rightness on this one.</p><p>That confidence wavered quite quickly, though, as Akane's features darkened fearfully at his rebuttal. Her glare froze him in place as she stalked forward angrily. "Of <em>course</em>,I'm happy to see them! At least I <em>would</em> be, if you weren't planning on getting them involved in such a dangerous situation!"</p><p>He nearly snorted at that. "Feh, those two can take care of themselves, Akane. They're two of the best female fighters I know, heck, Natsume alone could beat someone as tough as Shampoo by herself. And as a team they're even better, after all, they even gave <em>me</em> a little trouble, ya don't get much better than that!" he replied easily.</p><p>If he had hoped to put the girl at ease, though, his efforts appeared to be in vain. "These people you're fighting, they aren't martial artists, Ranma. You have to stop thinking about this like one of your stupid challenges! People are dying; just <em>one</em> of these things nearly killed someone as powerful as <em>Ryu</em>! Natsume and Kurumi might not be my real sisters, but I still care about them. I don't want to see them get hurt... or worse," she exclaimed heatedly.</p><p>Ohhh, that made sense to the pigtailed martial artist. A little too much sense, really, he almost would have preferred her jealousy over this, at least that he was used to. "Hey now, I don't wanna see 'em get hurt anymore than you do! I didn't know things were gonna get this messed up when I made that call, ya know?"</p><p>He tugged his pigtail nervously. He honestly had no idea that things would ever get this serious when he had got involved with that Saico-Tek guy. Really, that guy had been a joke, but the fights had been escalating ever since. "Look, I'll give Raven a call later tonight. She helped out with Mecha-Boi, I bet she could give us an idea on how to find whoever is behind all of these bad guys."</p><p>Impossibly, Akane's glare only intensified! "You're going to call Raven <em>again</em>?" the temperamental girl muttered out of the corner of her mouth.</p><p>"Huh? What're ya goin on about now? I've only talked to Raven once in the past couple days."</p><p>"Yeah, for <em>two hours</em>!" The heat in Akane's voice was quite different from the passionate concern she was showing seconds earlier.</p><p>Ranma groaned loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead. Then a thought suddenly entered his mind. "Wait a second! How'd you know how long I was talkin to her? Were you listening in on my call?" he asked, a bit of heat entering his own voice now.</p><p>Rather than get embarrassed over getting caught, his fiancée only got angrier at him. "No! Why should I care what you have to say to her? Heck, you can talk to Raven <em>all night</em> for all I care!"</p><p>Man... not this again. It had been unbearable back in Jump city, in the days after their victory over the Headmaster. Akane, Shampoo and Ukyou had all been on his case over who he had decided to spend some of his time with. Well, that was enough! He jumped to his feet, quickly enough to cause Akane to backpedal a step.</p><p>"Hey! You can get angry, jealous, or violent about anything you want, but you do <em>not</em> get mad about <em>Raven</em>!" The forcefulness of his words shocked even himself. Akane's mouth snapped shut in shock as she looked at him with disbelieving eyes. And yet, he couldn't stop; he pointed an angry finger at her accusingly. "Raven saved <em>all</em> our lives back at the Academy, so she deserves a hell of a lot better than your paranoid jealousy. And Raven is my <em>friend</em>, damnit, hell, she's probly the only girl I know that ain't tryin to marry me or kill me at the moment, so <em>back off!"</em></p><p>That seemed to do it. In a matter of seconds, her angry glower dissolved into a shamefaced expression that even made him feel a little bad. He didn't want to be so harsh to the girl, but there was no way he was going to stand for her getting jealous over the violet haired Titan.</p><p>"I-I'm sorry, Ranma... I didn't know you felt so strongly about her...," trailed off his fiancé. The hurt tone in her voice was so pronounced that even he picked it up. Aww, man, was she gonna start going the other way now?</p><p>Quickly, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She tensed up fiercely at his touch for a moment, before slowly relaxing. Gently, he ran a soothing hand through her hair and began to whisper soothing.</p><p>"Heh, ya big dummy. Raven is the <em>last</em> person in the world that ya gotta be jealous of. She's still hung up on the Lost Boy, remember? Besides, she made it pretty darn clear that I was... um... how did she put it... 'Exactly the kind of egotistical, chest thumping, testosterone pumping alpha male that she couldn't stand.'"</p><p>Akane looked up at him at that, a weak smile on her face. "...And yet she likes Ryouga for some reason?"</p><p>He rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Yeah, tell me about it."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kurumi glanced around the room anxiously, something seemed to be... <em>off</em> to her. She looked back at the two people across the table from her, her eyes narrowing slightly. The young martial artist wasn't sure what was going on with her older sister, but Natsume seemed to be acting strangely around this strange boy. It was obvious that that <em>boy</em> was up to something, what with his evil chuckle and shifty smiles. Kurumi didn't trust him one little bit.</p><p>But that wasn't what was bothering her.</p><p>No, there was something else, something much more subtle than the disturbing sight before her. Something seemed different about the entire house... an <em>absence</em> of some sort.</p><p>"...and if <em>that </em>wasn't bad enough, then the arrogant jerk ran past and stole all my clothes!" Ryu exclaimed.</p><p><em>Ewwwww</em>! Kurumi turned green at that thought! She knew that Ranma turned into a girl sometimes, but stealing a boy's clothes? That was just gross! It's a good thing he didn't try that on them... she didn't even want to <em>think</em> about that idea.</p><p>Natsume's reaction was pretty similar to hers... except she turned red instead. Wait, why was her sister turning <em>red</em>? She should be turning green, like her, after hearing something like that.</p><p>"H-he took <em>all </em>of your clothes?" asked the red faced Natsume. Her sister's voice sounded strange, not at all cool and composed like usual... what was going on with her?</p><p>The older boy leaned back, chuckling to himself in a lightly embarrassed way. "Heh, well, not <em>all</em> of my clothes, but you can imagine how embarrassing that had to be. Of course, there was no way that I was going to let a little embarrassment stop me from thrashing that cocky jerk..." Kurumi tuned out the rest of <em>that </em>conversation, the last thing she wanted to hear about was some boy fighting half naked.</p><p>A rumble in her tummy reminded her of her endless appetite. Hmm, she wondered where Kasumi was, she was always super nice and bringing out food for her to eat. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen anyone but Akane and a quick glimpse of Ranma before the two vanished.</p><p>The sound of the front door opening derailed her trail of thought. All eyes swiveled towards the front of the house, curiosity abounding. A second later, she jumped to her feet in joy as her pop- um as Mr. Tendo and Uncle Saotome entered the room. Right behind her, Natsume and Ryu also rose to their feet, respectful of their host and his friend.</p><p>The two older men wandered into the room, talking back and forth in somber tones. Mr. Saotome had an arm around the Tendo Patriarch, seeming to lead the other man about, they didn't even notice the room's occupants for several moments, so caught up in their quiet conversation. To Kurumi, Mr. Saotome looked more or less the same as usual, though perhaps a few more lines on his face than she remembered. Her poppa... or rather, Mr. Tendo, though, he looked quite different indeed. The man that she had so wished to be her real father hardly looked like the strong, passionate man that she remembered.</p><p>Now, he almost seemed... broken to her, and she felt a strange queasy feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger begin to grow. She remembered he had always been an emotional man before, but now the look of pain on his face, and the tears that stained his cheeks were almost more than she could bear.</p><p>A quick glance at her companions showed equally concerned and curious expressions on Natsume's and Ryu's faces, respectively. It appeared that even the Kumon boy hadn't been expecting to see anything like this.</p><p>And then the two men noticed the three of them... and time seemed to stop. The five of them all gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity, at least to her. Slowly, a smile began to form on Mr. Saotome's face as he recognized them. The headscarf wearing man then removed his arm from Mr. Tendo and stepped back. Ryu also seemed to fade into the background, a look of understanding dawning over him.</p><p>Mr. Tendo just continued to stare at them, shock fading into recognition, dissolving into joy. Amazingly, even the constant streams of tears ceased as he gazed at them.</p><p>"My <em>Daughters</em>!"</p><p>In a flash of movement that even Kurumi found hard to follow, she was suddenly being embraced by the long-haired warrior. She nearly had to gasp for breath, being crushed between a rock like chest and a hard-edged sister. The momentary discomfort was immediately forgotten, though, as she melted into the heart-warming hug. She pressed her head against her poppa's chest, relishing the tender contact that she had been denied so lon-</p><p>The hug ended infinitely too quickly, as something suddenly pushed the older man away. Kurumi looked to the side in confusion, to see Natsume, her hand to Soun's chest, pushing him away forcefully.</p><p>"Please, do not do that... Mr. Tendo. It is highly inappropriate," stated Natsume. Her sister's resolve was somewhat betrayed by a tightness in her voice. The taller girl couldn't even match Mr. Tendo's gaze as he stared at her in confusion.</p><p>"B-but, Natsume..." The emotion in Mr. Tendo's voice was much easier to identify, and much harder to hide.</p><p>Natsume turned back to look at him once more. "Though we both greatly appreciated your hospitality when you took us in; you made it abundantly clear that you did not believe us to be, nor did you wish us to be, your daughters."</p><p>Kurumi stared at her sister, too shocked to even speak. What – what was she saying? Mr. Tendo had just greeted them like his own daughters, and she was throwing it back in his face? Sure, he hadn't exactly been overjoyed at their claim of being his daughters, but he had still treated them kindlier than anyone else ever had...</p><p>The glistening moisture of unformed tears began to appear in their almost-father's eyes at hearing Natsume's words. "But I – you... you have to understand..." Mr. Tendo trailed off, unable to think of a response to her sister's words.</p><p>Her sister continued, unhindered. "Please don't worry about it, Mr. Tendo. I understand why you did it; we tried to take the dojo from Akane, your rightful heir. We are the ones to blame; you were just an innocent victim in everything that transpired. But you must also understand, it has taken me... <em>us</em>, a long time to accept that we are not Tendo's... that we have no name to call our own. So, it is for the best that you do not confuse the situation by treating us as such..." Natsume's gaze dropped as her words trailed off uncertainly.</p><p>Kurumi looked at her sister anew... she hadn't known that she had felt that way. Well, that wasn't entirely true, she had caught Natsume several times over the past months, crying in the dead of the night... But whenever she had confronted her about it, Natsume had always dismissed it as unimportant. She had also started to notice that her sister never referred to herself as Tendo Natsume, but never had the time to think about it with their constant life of traveling and training.</p><p>Behind them, Ryu and Mr. Saotome were striving to <em>not</em> watch the display, acute discomfort on their faces. Mr. Saotome had been the most supportive of their claim, even suggesting that they be given the Dojo and they had treated him as a beloved uncle for that. He looked very much like he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to interrupt. The eavesdropping <em>boy</em>, on the other hand, just continued to watch her sister out of the corner of his eyes, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face faster than she could figure out what they meant.</p><p>"I... if that is how you feel... then I will respect your wishes, my da... Natsume... But, if you did not return to rejoin our family, then why have you returned?" Mr. Tendo asked, curiosity and deep disappointment warring in his words. She felt so bad for him, but wouldn't, could never, go against her sister's wishes. Especially since she knew that Natsume must have felt as bad about it as her and Mr. Tendo did...</p><p>"Ranma summoned us. We were told, by the officer that found us, that there was an important situation that he required our help with. We do not know what it is yet, but it was said that Ranma would inform us of what it was when we arrived," Natsume explained carefully.</p><p>"And that's exactly what I'm gonna do."</p><p>A new voice interrupted their conversation, and everyone turned to the staircase to see Ranma and Akane enter the room. The pigtailed martial artist wore a troubled expression on his face, as he glanced over the gathering before him. The mood of the room must have been obvious to the usually carefree young man.</p><p>Ranma then glided across the room to the table and sat down, before motioning everyone else to do the same. Whether out of curiosity, or simply thankful for a change of subject, everyone did so with scarcely a sound. Ranma looked over everyone present one last time before nodding to himself, as if coming to a decision. Then, taking a deep breath, he began.</p><p>"Alright, everyone, this is what's been goin on lately..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Natsume listened with rapt attention as the blue-eyed martial artist began to conclude his rather lengthy and rather grim description of the scenario that they now faced. Unexplained attacks, unearthly opponent's with unfathomable abilities.  At first, it had sounded like an intriguing proposition; life was training, after all. However, these enemies were becoming increasingly dangerous, and didn't hesitate to use lethal force.</p><p>She discreetly glanced to her side, where Kumon Ryu sat, a serious expression on his face. She found it hard to believe that such a warrior would nearly fall prey to such an enemy, but then, he had been extremely hindered in his fighting ability. It did make her question their potential involvement, if only for her sister's sake.</p><p>Her and Kurumi were of one mind and one body and she would defend her sister to the death, but was her dear sister truly prepared to battle such a dangerous and ruthless enemy? Was she, herself, prepared?</p><p>Her discreet gaze slid to the other side of the table, to where Akane sat. Her faux sister had made it clear that she was not getting involved, for several very valid reasons. Though not the best fighter she had faced, Akane was still a powerful opponent, almost on par with Kurumi. In fact, were it not for her sister's superior ki manipulation skills, physically, the two were equally matched. If Akane believed that this task was too dangerous for her, then did she really want to place her sister into that danger?</p><p>She turned to look back at Ranma, as he was finally getting to the crux of the issue.</p><p>"So, Natsume, Kurumi, that's what's goin on. Things have gotten pretty bad since I called you back then, so I'll understand if ya don't wanna get involved. But whoever is behind these guys, they sure as heck ain't done yet, so we gotta find em and stop em, whatever it takes." The Saotome Heir extended his hand over the middle of the table, offering it to them. "So, what do you two say? Are you in, or are you out?"</p><p>Natsume stared at the extended hand, trying vainly to analyze the offer in her mind. It was a large commitment, and would certainly guarantee placing them in danger repeatedly... Finally, she looked to her sister, just as Kurumi turned to stare at her. There were probably one hundred good reasons she could think of to not accept the offer, but... but perhaps this was one decision she couldn't make for the two of them.</p><p>"Kurumi," she began slowly, "I will let you decide our answer. I will abide by whatever choice you make, but I only ask that you choose carefully. I do not wish to see you put in such danger, but the need is great..." She couldn't think of what else to say, though she desperately wished she could.</p><p>Her sister looked away, a pensive expression blooming on her face. All around the table, everyone stared at the young girl with concern, curiosity, and uncertainty. Finally, after a short eternity, Kurumi turned back to look at everyone -</p><p>And dropped her hand into Ranma's waiting palm.</p><p>"We have to do this, Older Sister. I-I know I'm not as good as you or everyone else, but together we can beat anything! Besides, once you told me that 'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good women to do nothing.' So, if we don't help out, it'd be just as bad as if we were hurting all those people ourselves," proclaimed her young sister proudly.</p><p>Pride, almost painful pride, bloomed in her heart. To have such a sister as her own, what had she ever done to deserve such a gift? Smiling wider than she could ever remember, unshed tears in her eyes, Natsume slowly reached to the side and lowered her hand onto her sister's, squeezing it tightly.</p><p>"How could we do any less?" she asked, choking up slightly at her own words. Her musings were suddenly interrupted, though, as a warm hand came to rest on hers. She looked up to see Ryu's large, rough hand covering her own completely. It surprised her, that his hand would be so much larger than hers, though she didn't know why. She raised her gaze to match his, taking in the half-cocked smile that covered his face as well.</p><p>"I guess that makes us a team then, eh, Natsume? Heh, too bad we're stuck with Saotome over there," he added, chuckling happily to himself.</p><p>"Hey now! What's that 'sposed to mean?" barked an irate martial artist.</p><p>Suddenly Mr. Saotome jumped up, nearly ecstatic pride on his face. The stout man practically dragged his lifelong companion to his feet as well, wrapping a companionable arm around the taller martial artist.</p><p>"Ahh, Tendo, to witness such a display of the camaraderie of youth! It reminds me of our own unshakable bonds. Truly I have never been prouder than this moment," cheered the aging martial artist. Mr. Tendo, so overwhelmed with emotion, could only nod in agreement, even as he pounded Mr. Saotome on the back, crying tears of pride.</p><p>Ranma just let out a groan of disgust at the display. "Sheesh, Pops, it ain't no big deal. No need to get all mushy about it." The pigtailed boy then turned back to them. "Man, how embarrasin, come on, lets head out to the Dojo, might as well start trainin for the next time we run into one of those bad guys," he suggested quickly. Everyone quickly nodded in agreement; training was always a good idea, really.</p><p>As one, the five of them rose from the table and made their way to the dojo.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>As the door slid shut behind them, Soun turned to Genma, a serious expression on his face. So serious, that even the tears had vanished once more. With steel in his gaze, perhaps for the first time in months, he looked deeply into his friend’s eyes. "Saotome, come with me..."</p><p>"We need to talk."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>His eyes snapped open.</p><p>Uncertainly, he looked around, confusion racing through his mind. Darkness surrounded him, he couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything aside from his own rasping, ragged breathing. Shifting uneasily, he spun around, trying to regain his bearings, filling the room further with the sound of rustling paper and spilling ink.</p><p>W-what was happening... had he – had he been asleep?</p><p>Brushogun slowed his frantic search as memory slowly began to filter back once more, filling in the terrifying emptiness that he had felt. Something was odd, though, something unusual and unsettling, even for him.</p><p>Why had he just snapped awake?</p><p>He hadn't slept since his transformation, had no need for such a pathetic mortal indulgence. But then why had he been unawares? More disturbingly, why couldn't he remember anything since he had begun his surveillance of his nemesis, Saotome?</p><p>His face twitched suddenly. What was... what was that smell? Again, he sniffed at the air, trying to identify the smell... if such a thing even existed for him any longer. Even the act of sniffing seemed to be an offensive throwback to his former life... did he even have a nose?</p><p>Another sniff... whether possible by the laws of nature or not, the smell continued to assault him, growing more pungent by the second as he focused on it. He almost wished that he couldn't smell it now, whatever it was. If it weren't for his nonexistent digestive tract, he believed the smell would have made him quite sick.</p><p>Suddenly, the smell vanished, as if in answer to his desires...</p><p>A slow chuckle escaped his lips, what an unusual ability to have. So it was that easy, was it? That in mind, he decided that he could see in the darkness...</p><p>And the world revealed itself before him.</p><p>His smile only widened, yes, soon all the world would bow to his will with the same ease. Such a simple thing, a small thing really, but so wildly liberating, to be able to shake off the fetters of mortality with such ease. Slowly, he swung around, taking in his midnight kingdom-</p><p>His slow swing stopped with deadly finality, nerveless arms dropping to his sides as he surveyed the interior of his warehouse lair...</p><p>It was a <em>charnel</em> house...</p><p>The Ink Demon nearly gagged at the sight that surrounded him, another vestigial reflex that no longer had any right to exist. The bodies that surrounded him... he could see at least seven within his line of sight. He could only hope that was all...</p><p>By the <em>gods</em>! These people... it wasn't like those two people that he had killed earlier. Those two had died instantly, cleanly...</p><p>This... this was something completely different... These people... they had not died a – they had not died a <em>good </em>death, none of them. The very fact that he had had to count the torsos to get an accurate number of the slain.</p><p>Faster than he imagined, he flowed out of the warehouse, gasping for the pristine night air which his lungs no longer required. W-what had happened? When had it happened? <em>Who</em> had done it? He almost felt like weeping at that last thought.</p><p>He knew very well who was responsible. But how had it happened? Those people, not even in his wildest nightmares had he ever imagined doing such things to his fellow man... at least, not before his transformation. Lately, his nightmares had been quite wild indeed, made only the more frightful by the fact that he no longer slept, that those horrid images ran through his mind every waking moment...</p><p>And that stench, it wasn't the stench of the freshly dead. Judging by the most decayed bodies, it seemed like at least several days had passed... That could also explain the number, the overpowering smell drawing the curiosity of other people working in the area to the warehouse.</p><p>He had lost <em>days</em>! How many days? What else had he done? Had he simply lain in wait in his lair, an infernal spider waiting to slaughter his prey? Somehow, that seemed to be the least horrifying possibility.</p><p>His gaze traveled to the ocean. Perhaps - perhaps <em>that</em> was the answer... This game wasn't entertaining anymore, his story had somehow crossed into horrific new territory that terrified even himself. It had been bad enough, knowing that he was now a monster, but to know that he had an even <em>worst</em> monster buried inside him, one that could escape without him even knowing until it was too late...</p><p>No, it was all too much, he had to end it now!</p><p>With determined haste, he flowed towards the piers, towards the purifying waters of the ocean. The endless waters would dissolve the hatred that seemed to compose his very being, casting his vileness to the four corners of the world in time. It seemed a fitting end.</p><p>The trek seemed to take longer than he imagined... something seemed odd about his destination as well. Bah, no matter, he didn't have time for hesitation, he had to make it to the water, that was all that mattered.</p><p>The thought rang through his mind, even as he slithered across the concrete and pavement of the docks: He had to make it to the ocean. It bounced around, flashing again and again, until the very idea seemed to lose all meaning to him, like saying a word over and over again.</p><p>Finally, after a seeming eternity, Brushogun reached his destination. He looked out over the ocean, then looked down to his own reflection in the chill waters below him. He smiled widely, yes; he had finally reached his goal...</p><p>Why had he wanted to reach the ocean so badly again?</p><p>Hmm, for the life of him, he couldn't remember what had brought him so close to these dangerous waters at such an unusual hour. Judging by the position of the moon, the night was still young, perhaps only early evening, the cool air which heralded fall chilling his damned bones.</p><p>Well, the air <em>was</em> brisk, perhaps he had just wanted to relish it. Now, what had he been doing again? Oh, yes! Spying on Saotome and his new companion. Now seemed like a splendid time to get back to that.</p><p>With only the merest application of will, Brushogun touched his mind to the tiny creature that he had made earlier.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The ink construct squirmed excitedly, the vague mockery that was its existence starting once more. It had no potential for higher thought, no understanding of the world around it, but it knew enough.</p><p>Its master had finally returned, and he desired something.</p><p>Relishing the comforting caress of its master's distant mind, the construct slid out from under the roof tile; where it had hidden an unknown amount of time ago, when it had lost contact with its master. More stain than creature at the moment, it took a moment to slowly draw itself together, to coalesce into a useful minion once more for its master.</p><p>The ink which composed it flowed up once more, rolling, and solidifying into the all-seeing sphere which was its original form. Next, nine spindly, insectile legs grew from every angle, digging into the hard tiles of the roof with cruel, hook-like claws. It had no need for wings this time, instead it just scurried down to the roof's ledge.</p><p>Guided by its master's will, it quickly scurried over the ledge and to the wall, quickly finding its way to a nearby window. A moment later, with deliberately slow and silent movements, it crawled to the top of the window and lowered itself until it could see below the window frame.</p><p>Once it was where its master desired it to be, it swiveled around soundlessly, until its range of vision took in the interior of the building that it perched upon.</p><p>The room was large and bare of any furniture, it was not, however, empty. Five figures danced around the room. Two of them were familiar to its master: the two boys, one wearing a red shirt with long sleeves, the other wearing a black shirt with none. They were expected and the target of its search.</p><p>The three females were not expected, or familiar, at all. One of them, the one wearing her hair in a long ponytail, was battling with the two boys, fighting with an odd wooden implement. The other two females, one with brown hair and the other with blue, were pitting their might against each other at the other end of the room.</p><p>At the whim of its master, the construct slowly reached out one of its many legs, preparing to move forward for a slightly closer look -</p><p>As soon as its claw touched the wood, though, all the battles ended in an instant. Suddenly, everyone in the room, save the blue haired girl, stopped what they were doing, and began glancing around the room uncertainly. Just as the red shirted boy began to slide his gaze in its direction, it scurried back out the window as quickly as possible. A moment later it returned to the roof and hid beneath one of the many roof tiles once more.</p><p>Though, somehow, its prey had sensed it was watching them, it had still served its purpose.</p><p>Now its master could plan his next move.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun sneered widely.</p><p><em>Five</em>of them? When had Saotome's forces swelled to five? How could he have possibly missed something as critical as that? Hadn't he just been watching the pigtailed boy and his new companion earlier that same day?</p><p>Something didn't sit well with the demonic entity. Something wasn't right at all, he remembered Saotome traveling to the dojo, it was late evening at the time... But it was only early in the evening now. How could such a thing have happened?</p><p>A brief flicker of memory seared his mind... several days worth of events... For the unlife of him though, nothing coherent formed, just a vague impression of the passage of time.</p><p>Brushogun scoffed loudly. As if it mattered! So, it appeared that he had given his nemesis a rather generous reprieve. And it appeared that his clever enemy had capitalized on his absence most efficaciously. Well, it certainly seemed as if his heroic friend deserved some heartfelt accolades for his diligent efforts.</p><p>His grim sneer melted away to reveal a manic smile beneath it. Yes, to have surrounded himself with so many warriors, obviously something <em>big</em> would be required to celebrate his return. Without even thinking about it, Brushogun began to travel to the center of the Shinjuku district, completely forgetting about his lair as he went.</p><p>Oh, yes, he had just the thing.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Uehara Daizo sat at his desk; his feet comfortably perched on the corner of his desk. In one hand, he held the remains of his half eaten Adzuki roll; in the other a manila folder. The Adzuki roll was filled with bean-pastry and spongy goodness; the manila folder was filled with a stack of paper nearly a quarter of an inch thick. The delicious bean-paste was composed of Adzuki beans, the most Yang of beans; the papers were composed primarily of missing persons reports.</p><p>Yes, the Adzuki roll was superior in every conceivable way... it was a shame he didn't have another one in his other hand, in retrospect.</p><p>With a long sigh, he dropped the folder to his desk. That made five missing persons this week alone. They had all happened in the same general area, around the Toyo wharf in the Minato district, just next door. Hell, to rights, he shouldn't have even had the reports, they weren't in his jurisdiction, nor did they seem to have any bearing on his case. But he had put out a few feelers the same time that he had started people looking for those two girls that Saotome had been asking after. It was a simple thing; he had just asked a few old friends to pass along anything unusual or odd that passed across their desks. This just happened to be one of those things that had been passed along.</p><p>There was no guarantee that, whoever these super villain types were, they would conveniently stay in his district all the time. Of course, he was sure this was a dead end for him, sure so many disappearances in such a short time was odd, but not unheard of. He was sure that the Minato police would investigate it soon enough and crack whatever it was that was goin on.</p><p>Confident with that, he looked to the folder beside the aforementioned one. That folder <em>was</em> in his jurisdiction. Of course, <em>that</em> folder should have been on Suzahara's desk, considering that <em>he</em> was the homicide officer, but considering it contained the most up to date list of casualties from that Catgirl's attacks, it seemed to flock to his desk like a disease riddled pigeon.</p><p>They had only found two more... but that was three too many for his taste. It seemed only by divine intervention that things hadn't gotten any worse over the past few days. In fact, things had been eerily quiet for nearly a week since their run in with that fur covered menace...</p><p>Maybe... maybe she had been the last of them, maybe, finally, the nightmare that had encompassed his life lately was over...</p><p>Yeah, and maybe he'd find out that drinking fifteen cups of coffee a day was the secret to eternal youth.</p><p>Speaking of which, he struggled to lean forward enough to reach his coffee. With zeal, he drank the top half of the cup in a single gulp... only to spit most of it out! Gods, he <em>hated </em>cold coffee.</p><p>No... no, <em>something</em> was going on. He didn't know what and he didn't know where, but he was sure that all this peace was building to something. He hated to use the cliché, but if his time on the force had taught him anything, it was to recognize a calm before a storm. Hell, they were <em>all</em> calms before the storm in this city.</p><p>He stopped suddenly, looking around curiously. He noticed his current companions doing the same. Suzahara looked down at his desk, staring at something only he could see. Katsuragi was looking around, shooting questioning looks to himself and everyone else. Kaneda just stood where he was, looking at the florescent lights hanging from the ceiling.</p><p>There it was again... not quite as faint this time. With all the haste of a glacier, Daizo looked down at his cold cup of backwash coffee...</p><p>Suddenly a ripple formed at the center, a perfect circle that raced out to the walls of the cup before bouncing back to the center, shooting a tiny drip of coffee up into the air.</p><p>He looked up in shock, his gaze locked with Katsuragi's, her gaze locked with Suzahara's, Suzahara's gaze locked with his... Kaneda just kind of stood off to the side staring at nothing. The three of them stared at each other, impossible realizations dawning on all their minds simultaneously.</p><p>Another ripple, this one more violent than the last.</p><p>Oh, no... he was sure he'd seen this movie before. There was <em>no way, </em>just <strong><em>no way</em></strong> that what he thought was happening could be happening...</p><p>With a reluctance borne of complete and total dismay, he slowly made his way to the nearest window. As usual, the blinds were down and closed to keep out the sun which had set hours ago. Reaching out, he calmly poked two of his fingers between the blinds and eye level and opened them enough to peek outside.</p><p>A second later, he pulled his fingers back, letting the blinds snap back together loudly. As casually as he could, he turned to face his fellow officers, his face completely devoid of emotion.</p><p>"Katsuragi, could you please call Saotome for me and ask him to come downtown?" he asked politely. The traffic officer nodded weakly, then turned back to her desk. He then turned to Suzahara.</p><p>"Suzahara, you might want to tell the chief that we have a situation in progress outside and that he might want to... give some orders... or something," he finished weakly. With robotic grace, the homicide officer began to shuffle to their superior's office.</p><p>Finally, he turned to the young officer that remained. Kaneda stared at him, an almost eager look on his face, obviously thinking it was his time to shine. "Kaneda...," he began seriously. The boy nodded quickly.</p><p>"Get me some coffee. This is gonna be a <em>long</em> night."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma sat around the table with Ryu, Natsume, Kurumi and Akane. They had just finished another work out and were taking some time to relax. Still, something was bothering the pigtailed martial artist.</p><p>"It's odd, I could have sworn that someone was watching us," muttered Ryu.</p><p>All around the table, people nodded in agreement. Well, everyone aside from Akane, anyways.</p><p>"I too felt a presence, though I could not determine where it was coming from," added Natsume. Ranma nodded at that as well. It had been too brief and too faint for him to pinpoint either, not at all as obvious as Gosunkugi had always been in his efforts.</p><p>Akane just rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you guys aren't just all crazy? Who on earth would want to watch you guys work out, anyway?"</p><p>Ranma shrugged weakly, he didn't feel like arguing. It was obvious that his fiancée was just annoyed by the fact that she hadn't sensed the presence like everyone else had.</p><p>He was saved from said argument, when suddenly a ringing sound came from upstairs. Hey! That was his cell phone!</p><p>Oh, crap! Akane didn't know about his cell phone yet! He hadn't thought of an excuse to give her about how he had gotten it yet. The girl in question looked around in confusion, obviously trying to figure out what it could be. As fast as he could, he jumped up from the table and flew up the stairs.</p><p>A second later, he dug into the pocket of his other pair of pants and pulled out the phone. He flipped it open quickly and held it up to his ear. He listened for a moment to the (semi) familiar voice of the female officer that he had seen at the police station the few times that he'd been there. As soon as she finished, he closed the phone with a click and dumped it carelessly into his pocket.</p><p>He ran back downstairs after that, just in time for Akane to catch him with a questioning look. "Ranma, what was that sound?" she asked curiously.</p><p>He sighed loudly. "We don't got time for that, Akane! There's something goin on down in Shinjuku, the Lieutenant wants us to get there ASAP!" he explained loudly. Then, waving his arm dramatically, "Come on! Let's Go!"</p><p>His hurried charge ended just as abruptly though...</p><p>He spun back to face his rousing comrades.</p><p>"Crap! There's four of us, how are we all gonna get there!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Daizo stood outside the entrance of the Police Precinct. In his left hand, he held his trusty revolver, in his right hand, the finicky laser weapon that he'd been saddled with. At his back were nearly fifty uniformed officers, all just as heavily armed as himself. They were prepared, they were professional...</p><p>They were as good as dead!</p><p>Unfortunately, it was their legal obligation to protect their little corner of the city here. So, finding the nearest fallout shelter and hiding until the national guard arrived just wasn't an option. Besides, he couldn't even imagine what that would do to their reputation.</p><p>He looked to his left and nodded at Officer Tsukino... he was a good man, Daizo would miss him when this was over.</p><p>Damnit! Where the hell was Saotome?</p><p>Without turning, he yelled back to his fellow officers. "Alright, men! This sure as <em>hell</em> ain't what we signed on for, but we're all these people have got until the people with tanks deign to show up. So, as Tokyo's first and most expendable line of defense, let's show that<em> oversized bastard <strong>what we're made of!</strong></em>"</p><p>With his moving speech delivered, he started walking forward, towards the battle ahead. It took a few moments and some shuffling of feet, but soon enough he heard his fellow officers begin to follow his lead. Gods, why had the Chief put him in charge of this mess again?</p><p>He made it about ten feet, when suddenly a car squealed around the corner of the intersection ahead of them. The yellow and red car skidded recklessly, burning rubber with abandon as it slid across the pavement. Finally, it straightened out and roared down the road, right at him!</p><p>The Lieutenant prepared to jump out of the way, when suddenly the Taxi squealed to a stop right before him, disgorging martial artists like a bulimic at a buffet! Instantly, the familiar form of his pigtailed partner ran forward, a panicked look on his face.</p><p>"Lieutenant! I need to borrow, like, five thousand yen, fast!"</p><p>Daizo just <em>stared</em> at the martial artist. Reflexively, his hand shot pulled back, the desire to pistol whip the damned kid flaring more powerfully than ever before. It was <em>so</em> tempting, but not the right time. Was there not one single thing that his new partner could do that wasn't insane in some way... of course, only Saotome could make something as mundane as taking a cab seem crazy.</p><p>Instead of unleashing walnut-finish justice upside the kid's head, he just shook his own head in disgust.</p><p>"Um, Saotome, I think we have something a little more pressing to deal with at the moment," he stated more calmly than he felt.</p><p>"Yeah? Well, you don't know what kinda tip I promised that guy to get us here as fast as he did. What could possibly be worse than a pissed off Cabbie?" asked his clueless protégé.</p><p>The veteran Police Officer simply pointed to something behind the kid's back. Slowly, Saotome turned, his eyes moving to follow the line of his finger, down the street, past the intersection, past the intersection beyond that, until the martial artist finally saw what it was that he was pointing at.</p><p>Ranma's arms dropped limply to his sides as he took in the sight before him... well, a few blocks before him at any rate. Looking decidedly less optimistic than Daizo had ever seen him before, Saotome turned back to face him.</p><p>"You have <em>got</em> to be kidding me!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma spun around to look at whatever it was that the Lieutenant was going on about. Quickly, his gaze scanned down the street, then further down the street, then several more blocks down the street...</p><p>He let out an inaudible squeal as his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull!</p><p>Then his eyes scanned up, up, up and up some more...</p><p>His frantically flailing arms dropped limply to his sides at the impossible sight before him. All around him, his companions looked down the street as well, slack jaws and glazed eyes matching his own. Slowly, he turned back to the cop that had become his erstwhile partner, a disbelieving look in his eyes.</p><p>"You have <em>got</em> to be kidding me!" he cried indignantly.</p><p>Daizo just stared back at him, his expression completely unreadable to the inexperienced young martial artist. Ranma didn't quite feel that he'd gotten his point across, so with a grand wave of his arm, he gestured to the spectacle directly behind him-</p><p>To the <em>twenty some-odd story giant lizard</em>that was happily stomping down the center of the city! The thing had to be eighty meters tall, easy! Everything about it screamed "I'm very similar to, yet legally distinct from, Godzilla", it almost made the pigtailed martial artist want to run to the nearest copyright office and call it in. However, despite its rather familiar and 'guy-in-a-big-rubber-suit' appearance, the huge beast still gave off an aura of menace and fury loosely restrained, as it marched towards them.</p><p>"You want us to fight <em>that</em>thing?" he asked incredulously.</p><p>To his side, Kurumi suddenly made a break for the taxi, waving her arms frantically. "<em>Taxi, taxi,</em> get me outta here!" she screamed in a high-pitched squeal.</p><p>Before Natsume could even rein the young girl in, the taxi driver scoffed loudly. "Forget you, girlie! I'm outta here!" The cabbie then put the pedal to the metal and tore off down the road, leaving only two streaks of melted rubber as a testament to his existence.</p><p>The Lieutenant just smirked at the display. "Heh, probably the two smartest people on this entire damn street," he muttered quietly. He then looked up, matching Ranma's stare with a piercing one of his own. "And you're damn straight we're gonna fight it! What's wrong, Saotome, things get a little tough and you wanna run away like a girl?"</p><p>Ranma bristled nastily at the pointed question, though not quite as badly as Natsume and Kurumi to his side.</p><p>"<em>What</em>!" all three of them shouted in stereo. Ryu chuckled weakly and the Lieutenant's smirk just widened. Ranma knew he was getting played, big time, but decided to just go with it.</p><p>So, he took an angry step closer to his partner. "I <em>ain't</em> no <em>girl</em>! How many times I gotta tell ya that! Why I oughta-"</p><p>He was cut off when Ryu stepped forward, pushing him aside bodily. "Look, Saotome, we don't have all day for you to complain. What we <em>do</em> have, is a <em>giant monster</em> that wants to stomp us into paste. Now why don't you quit your <em>whining</em> and let’s get down to business!" barked the Yamasen-ken master.</p><p>Ranma stared at him incredulously for a moment, but he was cut off from responding <em>again.</em></p><p>Natsume moved to Ryu's side, dragging her rather more reluctant sister with her. Her intense eyes impaled his own with a piercing stare. "Mr. Kumon is correct, though the scenario is unsettling, it is unlikely that such a massive beast will be able to compensate for our superior speed and agility."</p><p>He mulled that thought around for a second, before a small smile began to form on his own lips.</p><p>"Well, sure, I already knew that <em>I</em> could keep a step ahead of it. But are you guys sure that <em>you </em>can keep from gettin squashed?" he asked cockily.</p><p>He didn't feel like pointing out the fact that he had faced <em>several</em> massive beasts that were impressively fast as well as powerful. The Orochi had been hellish to avoid and Tarou's cursed form was insanely fast for its immense bulk.</p><p>Ryu and Natsume both nodded in the affirmative, handily outvoting poor Kurumi who was shaking her head from side to side wildly.</p><p>Ranma just smiled, meh, what the hell? When was he ever gonna get an opportunity like this again? The gods only knew that this was <em>one</em> opponent that he didn't have to worry about holding back against. Besides, if it moved at all like in the movies, then Natsume's claims were quite believable. That in mind, he returned their confident nod.</p><p>"Alright then," he started. He then put his hand out before him, feeling oddly companionable for some reason. It was odd to work <em>with </em>people, instead of constantly infighting all the time. A second later, Ryu and Natsume put their hands on top of his, smiling nearly ferally. They all turned to stare at Kurumi for a moment, before the girl finally submitted and placed a hesitant hand on top of her sister's. At that signal, Ranma smirked the cockiest smirk he could muster.</p><p>"Alright then! Let's show that oversized bastard what the masters of the Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling can do!"</p><p>The dynamic moment was broken almost instantly, though, as Ranma felt someone's hand smack into the back of his head. He turned irately to glare at the perpetrator... only to see it had been the Lieutenant. The gruff older man just glared at him in return, before grumbling loudly, "Damn kid, quit stealing my lines!"</p><p>Before Ranma could say something that wasn't age appropriate for his current company, the officer then turned to face the gathered police force. "All right, you lazy bastards, you all just won the lottery! Now I want everyone to spread out and take up sniping positions at whatever the hell the maximum effective range of these damn guns are! I'm going in with Saotome's team, so you ladies sure as <em>hell</em> better mark your targets carefully. If I even see a <em>pen light</em> aimed in my direction, I'll bust every god damn one of you idiots down so far that you'll be scrubbing toilets with <em>toothbrushes </em>for the rest of your natural <em>lives</em>, you <strong><em>hear me</em></strong>!"</p><p>The Saotome Heir could only watch in awe, as suddenly, fifty grown men scattered like a herd of gazelle in front of a hungry lion. Heck, he nearly wanted to run himself. Behind him, Natsume and Kurumi both watched, wide eyed and clutching each other; Ryu, on the other hand, gazed on with grim satisfaction. Ranma shook his head, it figured that a paramilitary looking goon like Kumon would just love something like that.</p><p>A second later, the cop turned back to them, smiling widely. "Heh, I wonder how long it'll take those guys to realize that half of them are my rank or higher?" he asked in an amused voice. Shifting gears suddenly, the older man suddenly turned serious once more. "Okay, Saotome, how do you think we should go at this thing?"</p><p>Ranma mulled that over for a second. Quickly, he turned back to survey the truly mammoth monster, in the few moments they had been talking, it had already covered a block and a half. It would likely be literally on top of them in another half a minute... providing that it didn't run or blast them to ash with radioactive breath or something...</p><p>With a shrug, he turned back to Lieutenant Uehara. "Well, I figure we can take the elevator from its toe up to its knee and work our way up from there," he muttered sarcastically. He quickly waved off the heated glare aimed his way. "Sheesh, Gramps, I dunno, this thing is just <em>huge</em>, let's just go with the direct approach and figure it out from there."</p><p>Ryu nodded. "That's as good a plan as any right now, we need to gain its attention so it doesn't destroy everything around us, and once we've actually moved in, we can use the buildings to get high enough to actually attack its vulnerable points," offered the serious young man.</p><p>The Lieutenant nodded in agreement, even as Kurumi scowled irately at the bandanna wearing boy. Natsume just stared at the young man out of the corner of her eye, an odd look on her face that Ranma couldn't place. Rather than waste time figuring out what she was thinking, he just nodded. It made sense, if the thing was trying to kill them, it was less likely to kill anyone else. Of course, it had been <em>his </em>plan, Ryu had just explained it a bit better, that was all...</p><p>Feeling the need to take back control from his (subordinate) teammate, Ranma quickly spun around and gestured grandly to the monster. Taking orders from an adult police officer was one thing, taking orders from one of his old enemies was quite another! "Alright! Let's head in! Lieutenant, you cover us!" he yelled out.</p><p>Lieutenant Uehara ran up beside him at that and dropped to a knee taking aim at the monster's immense head. The older man then looked his way. "Heh, let's get this soiree started right then," barked the older man confidently.</p><p>Then the policeman lined up his shot carefully and pulled the trigger. Coherent light blazed through the night sky, lighting up the entire street for over a block and a half, as it flew forward with deadly intent...</p><p>Its journey would turn out to be a much longer one than anticipated though, as the massive beast had chosen several seconds earlier to look to the side at one of the many helicopters circling the area.</p><p>The beam of concentrated energy passed by the creature’s skull, missing harmlessly by several yards.</p><p>For just a second, Ranma forgot how to run, collapsing to the ground in shock. Not even bothering to get up, he swung around to stare at Daizo, complete shock on his face...</p><p>"You... you <em>missed</em>!" he nearly shouted in disbelief.</p><p>The cop just looked back at him, wearing a slightly sheepish look. "What? Nobody's perfect, ya know?"</p><p>Ranma just shook his head in wonder. He didn't even know what to say to that. No, he wouldn't think about it. He knew there were a thousand jokes he could make, concerning barns and the broad sides which support them, but he just couldn't bring himself to speak them. So instead, he simply shook his head, hopped back to his feet, and charged after his companions, his companions that hadn't been witness to weeks of flawless marksmanship, his companions that hadn't even been fazed by the near miss.</p><p>Hell, he'd show <em>everyone </em>how it was done! The big dino-freak hadn't even noticed the beam of light nearly grazing its head. Well, <em>he'd</em> give it something to notice! Skidding to a stop, he crossed his arms tightly over his chest, willing all his power to a swelling sphere before him. Confidence boiled up from the center of his soul, confidence in his victory over the Yamata no Orochi, confidence in his victory over Pantyhose Taro, confidence in his victory over the Dragon Prince. Damn straight! He'd give monster-boy a present to remember!</p><p>"<em>Mouko Takabisha<strong>!</strong></em>"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>From several hundred yards away, Shotaro Kei, Ace reporter of the Fuji News Network, watched in awe from her seat in the company's news helicopter. She literally couldn't believe the sight that loomed before her. It was so unreal, yet so tangibly present, that even a seasoned news person such as herself was left at a loss for words... truly a rare occasion indeed.</p><p>A smile crept across her face, one that she studiously hid from the camera currently perched several inches to the side of her attractive face. She couldn't believe how incredibly <em>lucky</em> she was! Imagine, her, one of the first ones on the scene! She wouldn't be surprised if her face was on televisions <em>the world round</em>, by this time tomorrow.</p><p>She shook off her gleeful thoughts for a moment; carefully constructing the proper, serious, expression that such a catastrophic event called for. Slowly, she shuffled around the cramped cabin of the helicopter so that her face was in front of the camera, the colossal monster carefully framed behind her. It was time for her to start telling it like it was.</p><p>Behind her, barely even visible to the ridiculously expensive camera that was recording her...</p><p>Like the twinkle of a star, a tiny speck of light flashed on the monster's knee, then was gone.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma looked down to his smoking hands, then back up to the massive beast that he had just blasted with the full extent of his rampant ego... he then looked back down to his smoking hands.</p><p>"Ahhhh, hell," he muttered weakly.</p><p>He couldn't even see high enough up to tell if the attack had so much as scratched the monster's scaly hide. Sadly, the closer he got, the worse his sense of scale was becoming. He had aimed that attack straight at the beasties ugly face... and he had only managed to hit its <em>knee</em>. Of course, considering that was a good five or six stories up, and from a block away, it was damn impressive... just not impressive enough apparently.</p><p>He let out a long sigh; this was going to be a <em>long</em> night.</p><p>Unfortunately, as ineffectual as his attack seemed, it did have one very notable effect indeed. He stared in dread, as the snarling mass that composed the creature's head swung away from glaring at the circling helicopters. Much like a crane swinging into place, the creature swung its head in his direction, he could feel its gaze pick him out of the crowd, could practically feel those jaundiced orbs of hatred pin him to the ground.</p><p>Then the monstrosity reared back, its entire body wracking with the motion, before letting out a <em>bellow</em> of challenge. The dragon's roar tore through the city with hurricane force, windows shattered for a hundred yards in every direction, helicopters were sent spinning wildly. Everyone on the street, himself included, were nearly blown off their feet by the force of the roar, Ranma could almost feel his ears bleed at the inconceivable volume.</p><p>After thirty seconds that felt like thirty eternities, it finally ended and Ranma was able to remove his hands from their positions of desperately clutching his ears. Luckily, he noticed there was no blood on his palms. Also, luckily, he was in the middle of the street, so the rain of shattered glass that the roar had heralded hadn't lacerated him to the bone.</p><p>He noticed that he was still shaking slightly, his entire body vibrating from the experience... probably due to the sonic effects of the roar. Yeah, that was it, he sure as heck wasn't gonna get scared by something as trivial as a monster mating call. Straightening his back stubbornly, he glared right back at the monster as it once more turned its eyes his way.</p><p>Still... he looked around the street, seeing the devastation that the creature had caused with a simple howl. Hell, the thing hadn't even <em>started</em> fighting yet... Ranma gulped a bit nervously at that thought.</p><p>"Damn... where are the anemic mecha when ya need them?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Natsume dove to the side using every ounce of energy her legs could generate. Not a second too soon, either, as a foot as large as a transport truck smashed into the pavement only a scant few feet behind her. She had to admit, this megalithic beast was slightly faster than she had first estimated.</p><p>But it was playing perfectly into her plan.</p><p>She rode the torrential gust of air displaced by the enormous impact beside her and flipped in midair; a second later, her feet hit the side of the nearby building and she pushed off with all her considerable strength. The added energy and height allowed her to land safely on the top of the creature's foot.</p><p>The rough, scaly surface rocked under her wildly, as the monster lifted its foot again to smash some other infuriating martial artist, however it was a simple matter for her to maintain her balance. A second later, her weapon of choice, the ornate rug-beater that had been in her possession for longer than she could even remember, was in her hands, and she swung it with lethal force.</p><p>The unique weapon didn't just tear through the air, imbued as it was with her frozen ki; rather it shepherded the air, guided it to her whim even as it chilled the winds to an arctic gale. While her swing itself was unimpressive, missing the heavily armored ankle of the beast by a dozen yards, it was, rather appropriately, only the calm before the storm.</p><p>A deadly whirlwind shrieked to life in the aftermath of her masterful stroke, winds honed to a razor's edge by her very will. The tiny typhoon screamed through the distance, before tearing hungrily into the hide covering the beast's vulnerable ankle; dense, emerald pieces of scale scattering to the four winds under her ferocious onslaught...</p><p>To reveal a roughly circular patch of wind torn hide roughly six foot around and about half a foot deep at its heart.</p><p>Natsume let out a long, put-upon sigh, looking up, up, up at her opponent. She hadn't even pierced its scaly skin, let alone harmed it. Obviously, this was going to take some serious effort. Knowingly, she looked across the gulf, to where she knew her sister to be.</p><p>Kurumi was standing easily on the beast's other foot, her crimson, glowing ribbon lashing out again and again. A dozen lines of scorched carbon covered the monster's shin, a testament to her sister's tenacity, and a testament to the ineffectual nature of her attacks.</p><p>The elder Not-Tendo sister sighed again, unconsciously maintaining her balance as the creature stomped heedlessly after the pigtailed boy and the police officer that had been with him.</p><p>Hmmm, where was their other partner, that rather interesting young man, Ryu? No doubt he was having a much less frustrating time than her. Though she hated to admit it, she was somewhat envious of the young man's abilities. The many techniques that he had practiced over the past week, they were all so violently powerful, perhaps even outshining her and Kurumi's ultimate technique.</p><p>Suddenly, she lashed out again, unleashing an even more furious whirlwind, then danced to the side and used her momentum to unleash a second, even more powerful cyclone or razor winds. She wasn't sure why, but her thoughts of the intriguing young man made her want to push herself harder. After all, why should he be any stronger than her? Did they both not have such similar backgrounds? Both orphans, both training in Anything Goes styles their entire lives?</p><p>Yes, if anyone could understand her, asides from her sister, Ryu seemed to be that person. Essentially homeless after his father's tragic accident, wandering the world with only the distant hope of rebuilding his family’s dojo. It did not seem so far removed from her own history.</p><p>A spectacular spinning pirouette unleashed a fifth and sixth cyclone in rapid succession; both attacks tearing mercilessly into the deepening crater she had created. Now over a dozen feet in diameter and nearly two feet deep, the deepening hole looked like it had been clawed out by a thousand feral cats.</p><p>And yet she had not <em>injured </em>the great beast!</p><p>The familiar sound of her sister's footfalls sounded behind her. Without even thinking, the elder sister rolled to the side and took up a new stance as a blazing ribbon tore through the air to slash a slightly deeper scar into the heart of the widening crater.</p><p>"Wow, sister! You're doing so well over here! Way better than I was on that other leg," cheered her adorable younger sister. Natsume simply nodded, understanding why her sister decided to come and join forces with her. It wasn't that her sister was less skilled, just that her ribbon attacks were less well suited to this task.</p><p>"Then let us combine our efforts to hobble this leg. If we can limit this beast's mobility, it will make it much easier to attack its head later," she stated calmly.</p><p>Kurumi smiled widely, dancing around as she lashed out with her deadly ribbon. Natsume narrowed her eyes, carefully calculating her target. If only the creature wasn't moving around so haphazardly, it was the only thing preventing them from simply using their ultimate attack right then and there. Surely a full power strike from their Ring of Dragon Fire would cripple the monster's leg easily. Unfortunately, it would be impossible for them to maintain their precarious perches long enough to pull off the intricate maneuver as things stood.</p><p>So, instead the two sisters entered a dazzling dance, intent on accomplishing their goal. Despite her total concentration, though, Natsume still found her attention wandering... looking for a certain bandanna clad man amongst the chaos of their battle. She wasn't sure why she was scanning the area for him, why she desired to see him at all, though she would hesitantly admit that he <em>was</em> rather pleasing to look upon.</p><p>Ahh, there he was. Ryu had just alighted on the other foot, taking up where Kurumi had left off. Instantly, the muscular male began a furious assault, lashing out with terribly violent strikes of every kind. Natsume found herself watching the display out of the corner of her eye, even as she danced expertly around her sister. Unconsciously, her own attacks became more intense, even as an odd thought ran through her mind.</p><p>She would <em>not</em> be left behind.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu lashed out again and again, chunks of scale flying with every heavy impact of foot and fist. He smiled to himself, noting how much more effective even his mundane attacks were compared to that ribbon wielding girl's rather lackluster efforts. Of course, he was still just warming up himself. Gauging his opponent's speed, its movements, its intelligence, he wanted to make sure that he had a good measure of the monster before he began using his full potential.</p><p>Luckily, speed and intelligence didn't seem to be this monster's strong suits. In fact, it seemed to be completely ignoring both him and the two girls on its other foot. Rather, it seemed to be focusing all its rather singular efforts to stepping on Saotome for some reason. He turned to regard his erstwhile companion, as the pigtailed boy ran frantically back and forth down the street, doing everything in his power to keep the beast's attention while keeping himself alive.</p><p>The last Kumon smirked, enjoying the rather undignified show that Ranma was putting on. His smirk died away quickly though. He knew that the pigtail wearing martial artist <em>was </em>just putting on a show, Ryu knew in exquisite detail just how effortlessly Ranma could simply vanish from his enemy's sight. If the Saotome boy so chose, he could have escaped at any time, leaving Ryu, Natsume and Kurumi to deal with the monster's wrath.</p><p>Hmm, speaking of which, he let his gaze travel over to the monster's other foot, so far away. His eyes shot open in surprise at what he saw. If Kurumi's efforts had proven ineffectual on this limb, Natsume's efforts had yielded a much more impressive result. He let out a small whistle at the damage that the weapon wielding girl had produced in such a short time... though he had to admit that some of that whistle was dedicated to the girl herself.</p><p>Considering what a conservative girl she appeared to be, Natsume wore a <em>very </em>revealing top to fight in.</p><p>He shook his head quickly to clear it of such unworthy thoughts. Well, the last thing he wanted to do was appear to be a slacker in front of the cool and serious young woman. He chuckled evilly; he'd show those girls how a real man fought his battles. Rearing back his right arm, he brought all his focus to bear on a single point before him-</p><p>"<em>Poison Snake Deep Hole Blow</em>!"</p><p>His hand shot out in a blur of violent fury, his fingers as rigid as steel, a most literal spear hand strike. Any other person would have shattered every bone in their hand attempting such a reckless strike, but a lifetime of rigorous and dangerous training had honed Ryu's hand into a lethal weapon beyond compare. Just like the spear it emulated; his iron hard fingers tore into the armor-like scales of the beast.</p><p>Leathery hide parted around his hand, as his heart-rending strike continued almost unimpeded. First his wrist vanished, then his elbow-</p><p>Then his strike ended abruptly, as his shoulder slammed heavily into the beast's leg.</p><p>Ryu just stood there for a moment; eyes wide as he took in his predicament. Sure, this was the move that he had used to nearly kill Ranma in a single strike, but not even <em>he </em>had anticipated anything like this. Hmm, an odd sensation gained his attention... Idly, he wiggled the tips of his embedded fingers slightly.</p><p>A wicked chuckle escaped his lips.</p><p>He felt blood on the tips of his finger! He had actually pierced the monster's invincible armor! Of course, from the feel of it, it was only by an inch or two, but still, it was damn impressive! At that, he looked up, hoping to see if he had gained the monster's attention with his successful attack. Unfortunately, since he was pretty much hugging the monster's leg, he couldn't even see past its damn knee.</p><p>He chuckled to himself again, though a rather less joyful chuckle than before. Considering just how massive the monster was, what he had just done wasn't even the equivalent to a splinter, he bet. In fact, he was starting to wonder if it was even possible for them to <em>actually</em> defeat this monster. Sure, it had seemed like an interesting challenge, but now that they were fighting it, and he was close enough to realize just how excessively huge it was... he wasn't so sure.</p><p>Well, it wasn't like they were all out of tricks yet, that was for certain. Giving a quick tug, he pulled his arm out of the rather deep hole he had p-</p><p>Instantly, his world turned jade and a sound like a fire hose spraying at full blast exploded right in front of him. A force like a sledgehammer slammed directly into his chest and he felt himself flying, being pushed along forcefully by something he couldn't see as some kind of green substance filled his eyes, his nose, and his mouth!</p><p>He slammed heavily to the ground a few seconds later, bouncing and sliding in a slippery mess until he finally stopped, the gods only knew how far away. Even as he threw up a disgusting lung full of the green liquid, he quickly wiped the gunk out his eyes so that at the very least he could see somewhat clearly. He ignored the aching bruise that he already forming on his chest as he struggled to his feet.</p><p>There! Right where he had struck the beast, which he was now fifty feet ahead of him after his short flight, a tiny stream of green liquid was jetting out of the ankle not much unlike the firehouse he had imagined hearing earlier. It just didn't make any sense! Blood didn't spray out like that when you pricked someone with a needle.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a hand on his arm, helping him to his feet. He looked quickly to his side, seeing it was Saotome that was helping him up. Angrily, or more to the point, somewhat embarrassed, he quickly tore his arm out of his nemesis' grasp.</p><p>"What the hell was that?" he asked rhetorically.</p><p>A second later, the stream of liquid stopped dead, the remains of the emerald liquid arcing through the air to slosh onto the ground ten feet in front of the two of them messily. Almost as if he understood what was going on, which Ryu was fairly sure was impossible, Ranma nodded somberly.</p><p>"Hmm, it looks like it just healed the damage ya did. It must only kick in when it's actually hurt, though, considering Natsume made a heck of a lot bigger mess than you did, and the damage she's done hasn't healed yet," muttered the young man, almost to himself.</p><p>Ryu shook his head at that. "<em>What</em>? Not only is this thing as big as a mountain, it's gonna heal all of the damage we do to it instantly?" he asked in shock.</p><p>Ranma just rolled his eyes, even as he grabbed Ryu's shoulder again and started dragging him into a dead run. A second later, the calamitous sound of monstrous footsteps began to follow them. "Ryu, you already knew about that, we mentioned it after the c-c-cat fight."</p><p>Ryu scowled darkly as he continued to run, his brightly stained shoes skidding uneasily beneath him as he ran. In retrospect, he had known, he just hadn't thought it would be possible for such a monster to do the same thing. Heck, it wasn't even <em>fair</em>! How could such a monster be so huge and have such a power as well? Now he was even less confident in their ability to win.</p><p>Still, it would be a cold day in hell before he admitted something like that to Saotome.</p><p>Without warning, the night sky above them lit up with over a dozen beams of crimson, coherent light. Apparently, the cops had finally started getting into position. Ryu spared a few moments to look back at the monster that chased the two of them so mercilessly. As the Yamasen-ken master expected, pretty much all the shots were aimed at the monster's head and face, the angry beams digging hungrily into the creature's hide.</p><p>Of course, from this distance, he had absolutely no clue how effective the lasers were. Considering the monster's head was over twenty stories away, it was a wonder he could even see the lasers at all, really. Still, it did seem to get the monster's attention, as it noticeably slowed in its pursuit of the two Anything Goes masters.</p><p>A weak chuckle from his side gained his attention. Balefully, he turned to glare at Ranma, just daring the boy to continue laughing at his condition. Unfortunately, the boy obliged him. "Heh, heh, Ryu, you look just like that love letter that Ryouga wrote for Akane that one time!" laughed the infuriating boy jovially.</p><p>Ryu just scowled in return. "Ha ha, aren't you just the most clever little girl in the world?" he muttered with dark sarcasm. The indignant look that formed on the pigtailed boy's face was enough to lighten Ryu's mood right back up. Hmm, speaking of matters of the heart.</p><p>Studying his pigtailed companion for a moment, a small smile formed on his lips. "So... that Natsume girl, she's pretty cool, huh?" he asked rather casually.</p><p>Ranma looked back at him, even as they both continued to run along, a slightly confused look on his face. Then the pigtailed boy shrugged absently. "I guess she's alright. I mean, that whirlwind technique of her's is pretty awesome, but I think she overuses it way too much," replied his companion.</p><p>Ryu just stared at him, almost at a loss for words. "Um, I wasn't talking about her fighting style, Saotome."</p><p>This time, a clueless look entered the Saotome heir's eyes. "Whatchya mean? What else is there to talk about Natsume... um, about?"</p><p>It was precisely that moment, that Ryu remembered he despised Saotome Ranma. Ryu was just as dedicated to the martial arts as anyone out there, but did Ranma not have one single clue in his possession? What else is there to talk about a girl than her fighting style? What kind of moronic question was that?</p><p>Ryu let out a disgusted grunt, continuing his run.</p><p>"Why the <em>hell</em> am I talking to <em>you</em> about this for?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Darn it all to heck," Beast Boy grumbled loudly to himself, "Eleven hundred and forty-two channels, and there's <em>still </em>nothing to watch!"</p><p>Absently, he continued to flip through the channels. He looked around the darkened interior of the main room that surrounded him, desperately wanting someone to wander in and distract him from his mind-numbing boredom.</p><p>Of course, considering it was about four in the morning, that was highly unlikely. Not even someone as prone to unexpected entrances as Ryouga would be popping up at this hour. Of course, if Beast Boy knew the guy at all, the Lost Boy was probably still down in Terra's cavern, having passed on the all-night movie marathon offer that Beast Boy had made around eight hours ago.</p><p>Which was exactly why Beast Boy was up all night in the first place. The emerald changeling knew for a fact that even without the totally awesome movies gripping his imagination so completely, he would have been completely incapable of sleeping. The past few days had been particularly stressful for him, the way that Hibiki kept floating around, almost like a ghost, a far away and contemplative expression on his face all hours of the day, no matter what he was doing.</p><p>Beast Boy just <em>knew</em> that the master martial artist was close to a breakthrough. He could feel it in his bones. Heck, Ryouga was so obsessed with freeing Terra, that he only came out of the cave when Starfire went and bodily dragged him out of there to eat. Even then, Ryouga just sat around with that spaced out look on his face.</p><p>Not that Beast Boy was gonna complain, he could live without a little conversation if it meant he'd get to see Terra again. Of course, Raven didn't seem to be quite as understanding as he was... which was plain weird now that he thought about it. Raven was <em>always </em>more detached and objective than he was, but the Lost Boy's complete lack of attention to anything that wasn't: a) stone or b) Terra, was really getting under the Goth girl's skin for some reason he couldn't understand.</p><p>He chuckled evilly to himself. It served the girl right, really, she'd been ignoring him and Cyborg for <em>years</em>, it was about time she got to feel what it was like to have someone completely ignore her for a change.</p><p>Ah, well, it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it; asides from covering for Ryouga whenever some petty criminal popped up. He groaned loudly as his train of thought came full circle to the, apparently, imminent revival of Terra.</p><p>It was always there now, the racing thoughts at the back of his mind. Was it possible? Could Ryouga do it? If he did, what the heck would Beast Boy say to her? Hundreds of scenarios played themselves in his mind; some heart burstingly wonderful, others heart breakingly tragic.</p><p>"Argh, dammnit!" he cursed loudly.</p><p>He clicked the ‘up’ button on the remote again, continuing his desperate search for something to distract his sorely overtaxed mind.</p><p>"The Wonderful World of Fungus... hmm, I should TiVo that for Star..."</p><p>-Click-</p><p>"Nascar... Oooh, only three hundred more laps in <em>that </em>race – Not!"</p><p>-Click-</p><p>"Japanese Weather Channel? Heh, looks like the weather outside is frightful, there."</p><p>-Click-</p><p>"Hey! A Godzilla movie, <em>sweet</em>!" he cheered happily. If anything could numb his poor, abused brain cells for the next few hours, this would be it.</p><p>"Hmm, which one is this, anyway? Looks like a new one... what the heck is he even fighting?"</p><p>The emerald changeling looked closer at the screen. Man, the camera work on this one was just terrible, all shaky and stuff, you'd think they were shooting it out of a helicopter or something. Ahh, now he saw what was going on.</p><p>He groaned loudly in disgust.</p><p>"Godzilla versus Martial artists? That's gotta be the lamest idea for a fight <em>ever</em>." Man, not even <em>he </em>was that desperate for entertainment. He was about to hit the channel changing button again, when suddenly something caught his eye, a strangely familiar flash of red that just seemed to catch his hind brain and twist... hard. Instantly, the changeling's face was practically plastered to the television screen.</p><p>"<strong><em>No</em></strong> <strong><em>way</em></strong>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma leapt up quickly, gripped the outstretched arm of the lamppost and used it to instantly reverse his momentum and send himself flying in the opposite direction. A moment later, the post and everything within thirty or so feet of it were crushed to less than nothing by another tremendous crash of the beast's foot.</p><p>He landed easily about forty feet away, landing gently between his heavily breathing companions. To his left, practically dyed green from head to toe, was Ryu. On his other side, Natsume and Kurumi were also gasping for air, though now the two sisters wore outfits that nearly matched the Yamasen-ken master's.</p><p>Apparently, the only reward for their hard-earned success of hobbling the monster had been a tremendous burst of green liquid spewing out of the gash they had carved. Luckily, the girls proved to be slightly quicker than Ryu, and had gotten away with only a moderate splashing, as opposed to a complete dunking.</p><p>Of course, that left the four of them in the rather depressive state they were in now. Sure, they were easily capable of staying out of harm's way, especially considering that their opponent's only method of attack appeared to be stomping them... so far, anyway. It was far too huge to reach down and swat them, thankfully.</p><p>"So -<em>gasp</em>- what... the hell are we supposed to do now?" asked Ryu rather irately.</p><p>Kurumi nodded desperately. "We should run away! Even when we do hurt it, it just heals up anyway! There's no way we can beat this thing!" she cried out.</p><p>Ranma was starting to wonder if that might not be the smart thing to do. Unlike Mecha-Boi, the Godzilla look-a-like hadn't even been fazed when he tricked it into following him through a set of dangling hydro lines. His ki blast had already proven woefully inadequate, and there was no way in heck he would be able to lead that thing into a spiral without destroying half the city anyway.</p><p>Unfortunately, it appeared that he didn't have anything powerful enough that would work on this thing. Rather reluctantly, partly out of stubborn pride and partly out of envy, he looked at his companions. With a long sigh, he took a step forward.</p><p>"Alright, I'll go ahead and distract it. Natsume, Kurumi, when it's safe, use your ultimate technique. Ryu, you use yours at the same time. Maybe, the combined forces of your two attacks will be enough to faze this thing," he stated seriously.</p><p>Rather than argue, which considering the kind of guy Ryu was, surprised him greatly, all three of the master martial artists simply nodded. A second later, the fighters leapt back, looking for favorable places to launch their attacks from.</p><p>Letting out another beleaguered sigh, Ranma turned back to the walking maelstrom that was trying to kill him <em>this </em>week. Craning his neck painfully, he once again stared his enemy right in the beady eyes.</p><p>"Alright, ya titanic Geico commercial! Let's dance!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. Who knew, maybe the thing even heard him?</p><p>Then, things went crazy... the monster lifted its leg once more to crush him, but suddenly moved the leg back behind it. Ranma's danger sense suddenly flared to life with the force of a bomb, as the monster's whole body began to twist around.</p><p>Ranma stared in shock, as the locomotive sized tail of the beast suddenly started swinging through the air towards him! The air howled in angry resistance to the unbelievable mass that was now tearing through it. The vacuum left in the tail's wake lifted debris and cars alike, sending it all flying like chaff. Then at least forty feet of the monster's tail smashed into the buildings on the far side of the street, tearing through entire foundations like wet tissue paper.</p><p>His stare of shock turned into a scream of terror as a three-story wall of solid muscle and scale came flying in his direction, a row of five commercial buildings collapsing completely in its wake. The deafening cacophony of the demolished buildings, the angry roar of the monster and the screaming protest of the very air itself, it all came crashing down on the young martial artist like a ten-ton statue of Buddha. It was all so much, that it wasn't until he was seconds away from becoming so much ground beef...</p><p>That he remembered he could easily jump <em>five </em>stories.</p><p>Mentally kicking himself at Amaguriken speed, a second later, he was airborne. He easily cleared the swinging tail, grinning madly with relief... At least until he got caught up in the windstorm that was trailing the tail!</p><p>For about seven and a half seconds, Ranma had a surprisingly good idea what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the Hiryua Shoten Ha when you didn't actually know the technique. After being tossed around like a rag doll and smashed into several different pieces of flying debris, he finally crashed to the ground, a veritable mass of bruises.</p><p>Groaning weakly, he lifted himself up onto his elbows, watching as the monster continued its massive spin. Eventually, its attack was stopped as its tail crashed fully into about seven buildings on that side of the street. Gods, he hadn't seen this much destruction in his entire <em>life</em>! Luckily, having half of a city block collapse on the monster bought Ranma enough time to drag himself to his feet.</p><p>Ranma was about to start moving forward to continue his distraction, when, finally, he heard his companion's war cries at his back.</p><p>"<em>Hiryua Karimbou</em>!"</p><p>"<em>Saidaikyū Kijin Raishū Dan</em>!"</p><p>The pigtailed warrior smiled grimly. The monstrous monster had just enough time to face his direction again, when suddenly a flurry of massive vacuum blades slammed heavily across its stomach and chest. Each blade, probably a dozen feet across, slashed through the beast's hide like a knife through butter. Half a dozen gouts of green liquid sprayed out into the night sky-</p><p>Just in time to get sucked into a swirling wind funnel that snaked through the air to slam heavily into the center of the monster's chest. The crimson and azure wind tunnel pushed the monster back several yards, even as the energy of Natsume's and Kurumi's combined attack tore angrily into its scaly skin.</p><p>Ranma could only stare, impressed, as the two girls continued to pour on the attack. Ten seconds, twenty... twenty-three... finally the ultimate technique died away. Behind him, even from such a distance, he could hear both girls collapse to their knees, breathing heavily in exhaustion.</p><p>The result of their attack was even more noticeable than Ryu's. A hole, over a dozen feet in diameter, had been drilled into the creature's chest. Where each of Ryu's attacks were spraying wide arcs of goo into the air, their attack was pouring out a veritable waterfall of the stuff...</p><p>For about five seconds anyway, before the hole and all the slashes suddenly sealed up, glowing a bright crimson, then azure, then yellow, before once again blending in seamlessly with the rest of the monster's hide.</p><p>The beast rocked unsteadily for a moment, before reorienting itself once more, as if nothing had even happened. It then took a threatening step forward.</p><p>Ranma cursed loudly. It just wasn't <em>fair</em>! Hell, even as amazing as the attacks had been, they had been little more than scratches, really. This thing didn't <em>need</em> to regenerate from their attacks... the fact that it did was just – just <em>insult </em>to <em>injury</em>.</p><p>Still... something about the way it was spewing green liquid everywhere was rebounding around the back of his mind. Why was it reacting like that? It made him think of Mecha-Boi for some reason... or more specifically, the robot boy's grim demise. When the mechanical kid had exploded, well, it had just burst apart, almost like a water balloon or something...</p><p>...Like a water balloon...</p><p>All coherent thought fled his mind, though, leaving him quite unable to continue that line of reasoning. In fact, he nearly lost control of his bladder at what he saw next.</p><p>The draconian beast reared back its head, a dancing emerald light starting to flare at the back of its throat.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane sat about three inches away from the television, a pillow clutched tightly to her chest as she watched the screen with morbid fascination. She chewed fretfully on the corner of the pillow, not caring if she ruined the textile in the least. It was all just so unbelievable, so impossible, so terrifying!</p><p>Thank the Gods that she had decided to stay out of this madness!</p><p>As proud as she was of her martial arts skills, even she wasn't crazy enough to think that she would have been of any help there at all. It was like – like fighting an entire <em>apartment complex</em>. How did one even go about something like that?</p><p>Another near miss made her nearly tear off the corner of the pillow with her teeth. She couldn't stand the suspense, wondering if her fiancé would be alright or not. Every missed stomp, every swing of the tail; it was all she could do to stop herself from pulling out her own hair. This wasn't anything at all like watching the stormy eyed boy battling against his usual rivals.</p><p>Even the Orochi hadn't been this impossible of an opponent. It had been deadly, for sure, and tough as nails, but it could still be knocked out, injured.</p><p>She watched as a hail of vacuum blades and a familiar wind funnel slammed into the monster's chest, hope flaring in her chest for a second...</p><p>Only to be dashed, as she watched every single wound heal like magic. If Ryu's ultimate attack couldn't hurt it, then what could?</p><p>A sudden flash of light from the windows shocked her, nearly lighting up the entire night sky. A second later every window in the house rattled dangerously as it was followed by a titanic crash of thunder! So close, too! It almost sounded like it had been right next door.</p><p>Just shocked enough to be distracted from the television for a moment, Akane rushed to the nearest window...</p><p>To look up at the black velvet dome and brightly twinkling stars of a perfectly clear sky.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Lieutenant Uehara carefully peeked out from the remains of the post office, taking in the current scene before him. A second later, he ducked back behind the crumbling wall, breathing in long, wheezing gasps, just thankful that the battle wasn't coming his way that second. Not that he was a coward, and he'd pistol whip anyone that said otherwise, but seriously, what could one normal man do against a monster like that?</p><p>The experienced officer took a moment to take in his own condition. He was currently a mess, covered from head to toe in dust and glass shards from the billions of yen worth of damage that now surrounded him. He hadn't run so long or hard since his academy days; frankly, he was amazed he was still alive.</p><p>"Gods," he groaned weakly, "This just ain't working. We need some kind of... some kind of special task force for this, not an old man and a pack of crazy kids..."</p><p>Never in his life had he imagined that he would end up in a situation even half as crazy as this. Huddled behind a destroyed building, clutching a half dead laser weapon, and desperately hoping that the city destroying monster that he was fighting didn't notice him... Sure, he'd heard about crazy things like this happening in the States, but those lucky bastards had superheroes crawling out of the damn woodwork!</p><p>He snuck another peek at the battle, marveling as Kumon unleashed a series of blade shaped... well, he didn't know what the arcs were, but they slashed into the monster's chest with devastating force. Then he stared in awe as the two girls somehow unleashed a Technicolor typhoon right into the beast's chest as well.</p><p>Of course, neither attack had any lasting effect, but it was still inspiring...</p><p>No, Daizo wouldn't trade any of these crazy kids for even a dozen superheroes. The pigtailed brat that he'd been saddled with for these past weeks and his friends, they had trained hard and reached a level of skill that few people in the world could even imagine. They might not be immortal supermen, but he damn well respected them for their achievements.</p><p>Well, never let it be said that Lieutenant Uehara Daizo would let something as fleeting as sanity stop him from standing side by side with his nearly mythical comrades.</p><p>He saw his opening instantly, as the beast reared back, an ominous light beginning to glow from its slavering jaws.</p><p>He dove out from behind his tenuous cover and aimed carefully. A second later, protesting angrily, his laser flared to life again. With unerring grace, the beam of crimson energy lanced through the air, burning a dime sized hole at the very center of his target. He smirked proudly, damn he was good!</p><p>Instantly the monster flailed to the side, a belch of radioactive gases escaping its mouth at the aborted attempt to breath fire. The earth quaked under its feet as it staggered around blindly, its limbs and tail swinging wildly in every which way.</p><p>The Lieutenant chuckled to himself. Well, he supposed getting a laser in the eye <em>would </em>hurt, even as small as it was.</p><p>He knew the thing was likely already healing, so he ran out and skidded to a stop next to his pigtailed protégé. He nearly laughed at the look of mingled shock, fear and relief that rolled over the boy's face like a luxury sedan.</p><p>"Heh, I don't suppose you kids have any more tricks up your sleeves, do you? I really hope so, because I sure as heck can't keep up the corrective surgery all night," he stated perhaps a little too lightheartedly for the situation.</p><p>Surprisingly, Saotome just laughed in reply. "Heh, don't ya know that necessity is the mother of all invention, Lieutenant? I'm sure if we last a few more minutes, something'll come to me...," the boy stated, maybe a little unconvincingly.</p><p>A moment later, Natsume, Kurumi and Ryu joined the two of them, all of them looking just as worn out and weary as himself... though decidedly greener. Behind them, the monster's thrashing began to slow, and would probably stop all too soon.</p><p>Ryu glared impotently at the mammoth beast as it continued its thrashing. "If we don't get out of here soon, we're likely going to die," he stated seriously. He then turned to face Daizo, "How long do we have to distract this thing before the people with the big guns get here?"</p><p>Uehara considered that question for a moment, impressed with the boy's ability to accept that they couldn't win, but to keep fighting regardless. "Unfortunately, this fight is happening in one of the busiest districts in the entire city, and it's only been about half an hour so far. I wouldn't be surprised if it took another ten minutes before any air support gets here and likely a half an hour at least before any tanks arrive," he summed up quickly.</p><p>Of course, he had no real idea if he were right, he'd never seen the army mobilize before, but he didn't wanna make it seem too hopeless for the kids.</p><p>Any further discussion was killed quickly, as the Godzilla-looking beast suddenly stopped its agonized flailing. With another bellow, the monster turned their way once more, blinking its completely uninjured eye for all the world to see. The beast then reared back again, the temperature of the entire street raising by several degrees instantly, as it prepared to unleash its atomic fire on them.</p><p>Kurumi screamed in fright as the nuclear furnace in the monster's mouth built up to critical mass, a glowing aurora Borealis shimmering in its open mouth.</p><p>"<em>Ryu</em>!" Ranma screamed desperately.</p><p>While Daizo himself was trying to line up another shot on the beast's eye, to no avail, suddenly the other martial artist sprinted ahead several yards.</p><p>Then Ryu suddenly leapt forward, both hands clenched tightly together at his side. As soon as the boy's toe left the ground, he swung his powerful arms in a massive arc before himself, spinning himself completely around in midair. The movement of Kumon's arms were so blindingly fast, that Daizo didn't even register the movement until the boy had already landed from his spin...</p><p>However, the effect was immediate, as the air <em>shrieked</em> in protest to the inhumanly fast passage of his joined hands. The unearthly shriek gave life to a massive distortion in the form of an arcing blade, easily three times larger than any other that the boy had unleashed earlier. That had to be it! The boy's movement was so fast, that it had created a vacuum in the air, and now that vacuum was traveling through the air at unbelievable speed.</p><p>The fact that Daizo figured that out, or that it suddenly seemed so reasonable compared to everything else he had seen lately, worried him to the bone.</p><p>The massive vacuum blade was so powerful, that it almost dragged its creator along for the ride! Ryu had to spin and slam his fingers into the unforgiving pavement just to stop from being sucked along by his own oversized attack!</p><p>Its trajectory, curved, but true, slammed heavily into the monster's chin. The esoteric attack snapped the monster's mouth shut, jets of radioactive exhaust shooting out from between its clenched teeth as the atomic fire sought escape. The beast staggered back, as suddenly its mouth burst open to release a fifty-foot mushroom cloud of nuclear gases. The force of the blast sent it to crash bodily into a nearby mall complex, devastating another several billion-yen worth of real estate.</p><p>Kumon then dropped to his knees, utterly exhausted. The Lieutenant and the three other martial artists ran forward to check on the young man. When they got there, though, Ryu simply waved them off.</p><p>"Heh, I'm fine, just took more out of me than I expected to make such a huge one..."</p><p>Saotome stared at the other boy, confused. "Why did ya make it blunt? Why didn't ya just cut the damned things head off with that?"</p><p>Daizo nearly pistol whipped the insensitive brat, but Ryu quickly replied. "Shut it, Saotome! If I cut off its jaw, it probably just would have started spraying fire everywhere, then heal instantly. At least this way we have a few more seconds while it recovers," stated the bandanna wearing youth.</p><p>The Lieutenant just grumbled to himself. "Damn, all we're doing is delaying the inevitable here! It's just gonna keep on doing that and we can't keep this up for ten minutes, let alone all night!" he growled loudly.</p><p>Just then, their insanely persistent opponent turned their way, wafts of smoke escaping its mouth. Daizo could feel the hate in its gaze as it just stared at the five of them standing there. Not even the few, random laser blasts that were striking it from all angles fazed it in the slightest. There was something suddenly different about the beast, something that terrified him more than he ever imagined possible. It was like all the hatred in the world was swirling in those yellow spheres.</p><p>They all understood, then and there, that they wouldn't be able to stop the next attack. No laser, no vacuum blade, nothing they could do would stop this monster from unleashing a radioactive hell storm right in the heart of downtown Tokyo...</p><p>A silent rumble filled the air, no doubt from the monster before them.</p><p>Slowly, the monster opened its mouth one final time.</p><p>The silent rumble gained in volume, now like distant thunder.</p><p>Once again, an unholy glow filled the beast's gaping maw, though this time they could see the hellish furnace at the back of the monster's throat with their own eyes.</p><p>The roll of thunder continued to build, as if a storm were rapidly approaching; boy, but this thing liked to build up the tension.</p><p>The demon beast loomed over them, looking like it was just going to vomit a gout of flaming napalm right on their heads, as if destroying the five of them was the sole purpose of its existence...</p><p>When, against all reason, the sky was torn asunder by a flash of light so pure and blinding that everything went completely white! It took the Lieutenant several precious seconds to rub the sight back into his aching eyes, just in time to see a streak of azure light flying through the sky from the west, a shooting star flying just above the buildings. The roll of thunder seemed to follow the small stream of light, shaking the earth, and rattling every shard of glass for as far as his spot filled eyes could see.</p><p>Daizo watched in awe, starting to wonder if, perhaps, miracles actually did exist. The shooting star flew a thousand feet in the span of seconds, a plume of debris following in its wake as it began to descend closer to the buildings it passed over. Absently he heard Natsume whispering a prayer to the Gods... maybe they were making a house call?</p><p>Natsume's prayers were answered, then, as the careening comet slammed directly into the side of the great, staggering beast's head. The sky was torn asunder again, this time by the sound of a thousand thunderclaps all happening at the same time! A spherical wave of force washed out from the point of impact, demolishing buildings, overturning vehicles...</p><p>And then Daizo's world turned upside down.</p><p>Suddenly, he was rag dolling through the air; it felt like a bulldozer turned race car had scooped him up and taken him for a ride. He shut his eyes tightly, expecting a painful landing followed quickly by several harsh impacts-</p><p>And then it was over... The police officer looked around in confusion... why wasn't he bean paste again? Slowly, his sense of touch returned to him, though he figured his sense of hearing would be a little longer in recovering. There was something wrapped around him, something warm, yet cool; something soft, yet very hard...</p><p>He looked up tentatively... to see Tendo Natsume holding him tightly to her chest. A second later, his savior landed lightly on the ground, apparently, she had jumped to catch his sorry butt. As soon as they touched down, she looked at him, possibly inspecting him for any injuries. She said something, then, but he had no idea what it was. Not only couldn't he hear a word she was saying, he was just lousy at lip reading.</p><p>So instead, he just shot her a thankful look and gave her a thumbs up. Then he carefully grabbed her shoulders and pushed himself back up to a standing position. He chuckled soundlessly to himself, he was far too old to be caught in a compromising position with such a lovely young woman. That kind of thing was better left to his young partners.</p><p>After taking a moment to reorient his spine after his uncomfortable flight, he turned to see what the heck had happened. Not too far ahead of him, he saw Saotome, Kumon and the younger girl... um – Kurumi, yeah, that was it, he saw the three of them also land gracefully from their turbulent travels.</p><p>Damn kids, making this look so easy!</p><p>Further down the ruined street, the immense bulk of the beast toppled to the side, collapsing heavily into a row of commercial buildings, causing yet another billion yen of damage. He could only thank the Gods that he couldn't be held responsible for <em>those</em> buildings at least. It was all so surreal, though, watching entire buildings being destroyed in complete and absolute silence. The only thing that he could hear, was the ringing in his own ears.</p><p>He looked around to his companions, seeing them all staring around in confusion as well. Ranma was sticking a pinky in his ear and twisting it around, while Ryu banged the side of his head. Obviously, they had suffered the same hearing loss that he had... he sure as heck hoped it was just temporary.</p><p>And then, another impossible thing happened, which brought the count for today to around seven... hmm, a slow day since he started hanging out with Saotome, really.</p><p>Suddenly, from the perfectly clear sky above them, a bolt of lightning lanced down from the Heavens themselves! The bolt crashed down into the ground several dozen yards ahead of them, dissolving the world into another wash of white filled with dancing spots of black. When it finally cleared once more, the bolt of lightning had resolved itself into...</p><p>A young man!</p><p>Though his back was to them, Daizo could see the slender youth was wearing a bright orange breast plate that looked like it belonged to an ancient set of samurai armor. He was also wearing an ornate orange head guard that held up a shock of pale yellow, almost white hair which invoked the very lightning bolt that he had just descended from the Heavens in. Most striking, was the boy's skin, it was such a pale white, that the boy wearing it looked almost... divine...</p><p>Holy Hell! The Gods actually <em>had</em> arrived to save them!</p><p>Daizo desperately tried to remember the last time that he had visited a temple, and how they had gone about praying there. He was about to drop to his knees in prostration - Except he was distracted, as surprisingly, it was about then that sounds began to trickle back to the tired Lieutenant... another miracle? There were three sounds that stood out. He turned to his left, to see Natsume and Kurumi on their knees, praying. Apparently, they had beaten him to the punch. On his right, the two boys were sputtering in shock, unsure <em>what </em>they were seeing. Before him, in the distance, the sound of rubble raining to the ground as the behemoth started to drag itself out of the husks of the destroyed buildings.</p><p>Then the young God raised its arms before it...</p><p>It started small, a small spark at the young man's elbow. It was followed by an arc of electricity dancing along his forearm. Then another, larger arc appeared. All too soon, his arms were wreathed in lightning, dancing to a chaotic rhythm that no mortal could understand. The dangerous energy sinuously climbed up the boy's arms until the infant bolts of lightning gathered in his hands, forming a sphere which crackled angrily over its unnatural containment.</p><p>And then the wrath of the Gods was unleashed! A bolt of lightning exploded out from the God's hands, scorching through the air in search of its unfortunate prey. Over a hundred yards away, the lance of electrical fury lashed out at the great beast, scorching a three story gash up the monster's underbelly.</p><p>Instantly, a waterfall of green liquid began to rush out of the immense wound, and the creature crashed back down into the demolished buildings once more.</p><p>Then, the young man turned around, a broad smile on his pale lips and a joyful laugh on his lips. A second later, another figure appeared, descending from the sky riding what appeared to be a living cloud. This second figure, also looking like a young man, was the polar opposite of his companion. Where the first was fair and slight, the second was dark and massive. The newcomer wore a breast plate that was like his companion's, though a dark blue in color. He also wore a simple helmet which flared out to protect the back of his neck. Oddly, the young man's skin was a pale blue, almost purple in color. Surely, if riding to the earth on a living cloud wasn't enough of a sign of supernatural origins, that skin had to be.</p><p>"What tremendous <em>fun</em> that was, my brother!" cheered the fair youth.</p><p>The large, framed youth nodded, smiling weakly himself. "Indeed, brother, your skill is magnificent as always... But I feel that this is not that which we seek."</p><p>Daizo could only stare in shock... still not sure what to do, what to say. What did you say to a god, really?</p><p>"W-who the <em>hell</em>are you two!"</p><p>Daizo groaned loudly at the sound of Saotome's voice. It appeared that he was about to find out exactly what you <em>shouldn't </em>say to a god.</p><p>The two colorfully clad youths turned their way, as if just noticing them for the first time. Suddenly, the lighter of the two stepped forward, a look of such intense pride on his face, that Daizo was certain that it belonged on his idiotic protégé's face. The young man then gestured grandly with a sweeping of his arm.</p><p>"We are <strong>Thunder </strong>and <em>Lightning</em>!" he stated dramatically, his voice high and excited. Behind him, his sibling, Thunder, bowed politely to them.</p><p>The pigtailed boy strode forward, sputtering angrily, and poked an irate finger into the center of Lightning's chest.</p><p>"Yeah, well, <em>Lightning,</em>" Ranma sneered the name disrespectfully, "Who the hell do ya think you are? This was <em>our</em> fight; we didn't need your help!"</p><p>The Officer slapped a hand to his face, desperately groping for an implement to pistol whip the loud-mouthed idiot with. What was he doing?</p><p>The self titled Lightning stared back angrily at the blue-eyed martial artist, obviously not amused by the blatant lack of respect or gratitude. However, his angry retort was cut off, as the fair-haired God was interrupted by something tugging insistently at the bracer which covered his forearm.</p><p>Everyone looked down to see Kurumi holding the youth's arm, looking up at him with a look that was so hopeful, that it nearly broke his old, policeman's heart.</p><p>"Excuse me, sir... but are you really... really a God?" she asked, wonder and awe overflowing in her voice.</p><p>At the same time, a look of sheer superiority formed on Lightning's face and a look of indignant rage appeared on Ranma's. However, before either youth could blurt out whatever it was, they were going to say, Thunder suddenly stepped forward.</p><p>The seemingly soft-spoken Thunder carefully dropped to a knee directly in front of Kurumi and placed his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. He then looked deeply into the girl's eyes, smiling weakly, and shook his head slowly.</p><p>"No, young one, we are not Gods. My brother and I are merely gifted with the powers of nature. However, these powers do not make us any better than you, or anyone else. So please, do not look at us with such eyes," explained the young man with surprising eloquence.</p><p>Behind him, Lightning deflated visibly, apparently disappointed for some reason. Ranma also deflated, though more likely out of shame then anything else. Daizo smirked weakly at that... so, not gods, eh? Well, that didn't mean he still couldn't chalk this whole thing up to being a miracle.</p><p>Kurumi suddenly leapt forward, ensnaring the large youth in a tight hug, tears in her eyes. Thunder looked around in surprise, totally unsure what was going on. Well, that settled that then, getting flustered by a pretty girl was a definite sign or mortality.</p><p>A moment later, the young Tendo girl released her constricting hug, then stared tearfully at the larger teen. "I don't care if you're not a god! You still saved us all, so I wanna thank you anyway!" she stated in a cutely firm manner.</p><p>Again, Thunder looked to everyone present, looking for any help on what he should do. Apparently getting thanked for his actions wasn't something the large boy was used to.</p><p>Behind the two, Lightning turned to Ranma, a cocky sneer on his lips. "Yes, <em>boy</em>, we did <em>save you all,</em> so feel free to thank me any time you like."</p><p>Uehara nearly choked on his tongue as he watched Saotome's face turn as red as a beet. "Are you crazy? Why on earth would I thank an arrogant jerk like <em>you</em> for? There's no damn way that you saved <em>me, </em>cuz <em>I </em>was never in any danger!" shouted the irate martial artist.</p><p>Lightning matched his scowl. "Who are <em>you</em> to call <em>me</em> arrogant? You are unable to even admit that you were in danger! If my brother and I hadn't arrived when we had, that great beast would have unleashed its fire breath upon you all!"</p><p>"As if! I woulda stopped that thing easy! I don't need no fancy dressin lightning bugs butting in on <em>my </em>fights!" fired back the pigtailed fighter.</p><p>The electrically powered teen gasped angrily. "You <em>dare</em> to compare one such as myself to a lowly insect? Are you completely lacking in common courtesy, you debased scrapper?"</p><p>Daizo groaned loudly again. Was this the time or the place for an argument like this? These damn kids were embarrassing him in front of his fellow officers! Luckily, Thunder stepped forward and began to calm his brother, even as Kurumi started kicking Ranma repeatedly in the shins for his rudeness-</p><p>"Hey, <em>idiots</em>!"</p><p>The shout gathered everyone's attention in a flash. Everyone present turned to face the speaker, glaring lightly at the Yamasen-ken master. Kumon met all the glares evenly, before pointing casually over everyone's shoulder.</p><p>"In case you morons hadn't noticed, this fight isn't over yet." Everyone followed the path his finger made, to see the collapsed Godzilla-clone climbing to its feet once more, not a scratch present on its massive body. "So, unless you all wanna get killed over a stupid argument, I suggest you all shut the hell up and we figure out how to take this thing down for good."</p><p>Thunder and Lightning turned to face each other, shocked expressions on their faces. "B-but how is that possible?" asked the gentle giant. "Your strike had rent its flesh asunder..."</p><p>The Lieutenant stepped between the two boys and clapped a hand onto each of their shoulders. "Look, we'll fill you in on what the hell is goin on later. Here's the basics: big lizard thing no die. There, you're caught up now, lets move on."</p><p>He just smiled wickedly as the two teens stared at him, totally confused. He chuckled happily, tweaking these super powered kids was one of the last simple joys that life seemed to be offering him lately. Of course, he had absolutely no idea how they were gonna do it, but hey, the more the merrier.</p><p>Then suddenly, apparently for no reason at all, Ranma snapped his fingers loudly. Everyone turned to face the boy, curious as to why the young man had started laughing in such an evil manner. He just met their gazes, a slightly manic look in his eyes.</p><p>"Oh, yes, I gotta plan."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Everyone stared at him, worried and confused looks on their faces. He didn't even bother answering their unasked question. He didn't have time, the inspiration was burning too hotly in his mind, it was co-opting every neuron that wasn't dedicated to breathing or pumping blood. The plan was rough, but it was all sliding together like some mad genius' jigsaw puzzle.</p><p>He wanted to laugh out loud -</p><p>Water Balloons! Of course, he knew it would work, there was no way that it <em>couldn't </em>work, all the pieces were right there and waiting to be used!</p><p>Oops, the looks on everyone's faces were starting to slide from worried to concerned for their own well-being. He didn't want to scare them away now... though he was having trouble hiding his smile.</p><p>The heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling took a long, calming breath. He then looked around to his collective comrades.</p><p>First, he pointed to the massive teen, Thunder. "Alright, Thunder, on my signal, I want you to do that flying attack again. I need you to stun the monster long enough for the rest of us to get ready," he stated carefully. Thunder looked to his brother, a questioning expression on his face. Lightning looked to Ranma, then back to his brother... then nodded, once. With that, the blue armored warrior also nodded.</p><p>Ranma then looked to the other four fighters. "Alright, I need you all to do what I say, when I say it, okay? It probably won't make a lot of sense at the time, but just trust me, I know this will work," he asked eagerly.</p><p>He then looked to the Lieutenant. "Hey, old man, you might wanna get clear, this is gonna get pretty wild in here." Rather than argue, the tired looking officer simply nodded and retreated.</p><p>A minute later, Ranma had everyone arranged like he wanted. The six of them facing down the eighty-meter monstrosity. The pigtailed fighter was nearly shaking in anticipation, it was an all or nothing gambit, but then, they all were really. The monolithic beast stared down at them, rage boiling out from its hateful eyes.</p><p>Then the monster took a step forward.</p><p>"<em>Now, Thunder!</em>" he shouted.</p><p>In a flash, the cloud riding thunder spirit took off, a tail of azure light trailing him. A second later, Thunder crashed into the beast's head again, unleashing a punch with all the fury of a thunderbolt behind it. Though not nearly as impressive as his first strike, it was still enough to send the monster's head snapping painfully to the side.</p><p>Ranma quickly turned to Natsume and Kurumi. "You two, use the Hiryua Karimbou on its chest, now." he ordered quickly.</p><p>With grace borne of countless repetition, the two girls came together. Kurumi unleashed her crimson ribbon and started twirling it rapidly, a second later, it began to glow ominously as she funneled her molten chi through the narrow strip of cloth. Then Natsume pulled out her rug beater and expelled a gust of her arctic ki in a whirlwind of force. The two opposing powers combined instantly, and a massive wind funnel a dozen feet in diameter roared to life.</p><p>"<strong><em>Hiryua Karimbou!"</em></strong></p><p>Just like before, the sinuous cyclone tore through the air and slammed into the monster's chest, pushing it back slightly with the intense pressure they were creating. Ranma nodded, happy with the progress so far. Now it was his turn. He positioned himself carefully around eight feet to the side of the girls and focused his own power. He clinically studied the rapid flow, the spiraling power of the girl's cyclone attack...</p><p>"<strong><em>Hiryua Shoten Ha!</em></strong>"</p><p>The pigtailed martial artist chuckled evilly to himself. He had done this before, used their Hiryua Karimbou to create a horizontal Hiryua Shoten Ha. Of course, he had been countering their attack that time, and thus his attack had been much weaker than normal...</p><p>This time he was adding the power of their attack to his own!</p><p>Suddenly the base of the wind tunnel the girls were creating swelled to double its original diameter, growing in his direction so that the center of the vortex was now between him and the sisters; rather fitting since it now belonged to both of them. The power of the combined attack flowed up the entire length of the cyclone, transforming an angry serpent into a raging dragon! Then the force of his super attack slammed into the chest of the monster, forcing it back several steps.</p><p>The monster howled in pain, as the full-fledged tornado began to tear angrily into its leathery hide.</p><p>Then, shouting as loud as he could to be heard over the howling winds, Ranma turned to Lightning.</p><p>"<em>Lightning! Fire right up the middle of the tornado! Tear this oversized bastard a new one!"</em></p><p>The master of lightning stood there for a moment, staring in awe at the elemental force they had wrought. A second later, the spiky haired warrior shook off his amazement and stepped between Ranma and Natsume and Kurumi. He then unleashed a terrible and powerful bolt of lighting, which traveled straight and true up the length of the vortex. In the blink of an eye, the bolt hit home, exploding a hole in the center of the beast's chest. For a moment, green ooze began to spray out of the wound, but almost instantly, the force of the winds pushed the liquid forcefully back into the gory wound.</p><p>Finally, Ranma turned to the master of the Yamasen-ken.</p><p>
  <em>"Ryu! Start firing vacuum blades into the tornado!"</em>
</p><p>Quickly, Lighting moved out of the way and Ryu took his place at the center of the tornado's mouth. The Kumon heir looked at him quizzically for a moment, before simply shrugging. Then -</p><p>"<strong><em>Saidaikyū Kijin Raishū Dan</em></strong></p><p>His arms blurring faster than anyone other than Ranma himself could follow, Ryu unleashed his ultimate technique. Vacuum slash after vacuum slash flew into the mouth of the ravenous wind tunnel. Ranma smiled, as he critically watched each blade, marking exactly how far each one made it up the length of the tornado before dissipating into the winds. Carefully, the blue-eyed martial artist started creeping off to the side, away from the center of the tornado.</p><p>Ryu just continued his deadly onslaught, sweat flying in arcs as the boy put every possible ounce of energy into his attack. Judging by the confused look on the guy's face, it was becoming apparent that he had no idea what Ranma was thinking. The Yamasen-ken master could see just as clearly as Ranma could that the vacuum blades were all dissipating harmlessly before even reaching the monster's chest, which had already been cut open anyway-</p><p>Suddenly, a great howl filled the air, as the monster suddenly started roaring in pain. The bellow was quickly followed by a loud, incredibly loud rumbling sound. Ranma took several more quick steps to the side, positioning himself on the very outer edge of the massive tornado, just close enough to continue feeding his powerful cold aura into the wind funnel.</p><p>Ranma smiled widely then, as the rumbling sound rapidly increased in volume, beginning to sound suspiciously like a raging river. Suddenly, Ryu stopped his assault, dropping his arms to his side. Instantly, the Kumon boy turned to face him, stark understanding appearing on his face.</p><p>
  <em>"Wait a second! I know what you're up t-"</em>
</p><p>The word 'Splash' didn't even do justice to the sound as the torrential river of green ooze being sucked down the wind funnel suddenly crashed into the poor boy with the force of a runaway freight train. Luckily, Natsume and Kurumi had mirrored his movements, so they were at the far side of the tornado as well and weren't washed away in the flood like Ryu had just been.</p><p>Ranma laughed loudly in triumph! <em>"Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Grappling Ultimate Attack!"</em>he roared to the heavens themselves.</p><p>"<strong><em>Demon God Assaults the Flying Dragon Drinking Through a Straw Technique! You scaly bastard!</em></strong>"</p><p>The master of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling shouted the name of his masterful new technique for all to hear. It had all come together so perfectly, even better than he could have imagined!</p><p>The way that the monster had behaved when injured, spraying out green liquid, hadn't coincided with any known injury he had ever seen before. Instead, it had reminded him strongly of what happened when you poked a hole in a water balloon. The water shot out in a spurt, and the lower on the balloon you made the hole, the stronger the stream because all the weight of the water above it was pushing it out.</p><p>A living body didn't work at all like that. Blood traveled through veins and arteries and capillaries, people just weren't blood filled sacks (contrary to what it seemed like in some anime he watched), if you pricked a person, blood would just drip out. And that had made him think back to Mecha-Boi, when he had burst open, there hadn't been anything inside, no computer parts or circuits, or whatever was inside a robot. It was like the mechanical boy had just been a sack of liquid.</p><p>And since this Godzilla-look-alike shared the same powers, it only made sense that it was made of the same goo... just green in this case.</p><p>Of course, none of that information had meant anything to him before. After all, what did it matter if it was a sack full of juice, if it healed nearly instantly anyway? Not even an attack as devastating as Lightning's first strike had been enough to keep it down.</p><p>It had all clicked, ironically like a bolt of lightning in his mind.</p><p>He squinted his eye and looked away, not wanting to get any stray drops of juice in his eyes as the river continued to flow past him. In the distance, at the other end of the tornado, he could see the monster, still writhing and howling, even as the vortex continued to drain its lifeblood out at an astonishing rate. And, if he wasn't mistaken, the monster seemed to be... deflating.</p><p>He smiled even wider. It might take a few minutes, but...</p><p>This fight was over!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Lieutenant Uehara continued to watch in morbid fascination. It had taken ten minutes, but the monster had finally collapsed into nothing more than a huge pile of empty leather. It was probably going to be another one of those traumatic events that would be forever branded into his memory.</p><p>He had never seen anyone <em>bleed out </em>a monster before, it was... a powerfully disturbing image. It had long since stopped moving, but apparently Saotome and the girls weren't taking any chances, they hadn't stopped until every drop of green liquid had been sucked out of the damned beast. He looked down the street, the river of emerald stretching out beyond sight. May the gods take pity on the poor bastards that had to clean that mess up.</p><p>He didn't even turn to regard the slopping sounds of someone approaching from behind him. With an exhausted sigh, what he... assumed to be Kumon, dropped down to sit on the tipped over phone booth beside him. The entire boy was coated from head to toe in a thick layer of the stuff that covered the street.</p><p>Nasty trick that had been of Saotome, getting Ryu stuck in the middle of all of that. He wouldn't have been surprised if Ryu had been washed out into another district by the river of goo that had carried him off. Shame, that, Saotome and Kumon didn't seem to get along that well before, this probably wasn't gonna help much.</p><p>A few minutes later, an exhausted group came over to join them. Ranma was practically dragging himself across the pavement, as Thunder and Lighting carried Kurumi and Natsume, respectively. The younger of the two sisters was completely unconscious from the effort and the elder sister didn't seem too far behind. Apparently not feeling up to carrying the larger girl, Lightning walked over to their seat and was about to set her down beside him.</p><p>Daizo rolled his eyes at the young hero and nodded his head to the side forcefully, indicating the boy on his other side. Lighting looked at him, confused for a second, before smiling slyly. The pale boy then walked over and placed the girl at Ryu's side, leaning her carefully against him. If the bandanna wearing boy or the pony tailed girl minded, neither one gave a sign.</p><p>"Well, Saotome, maybe once you're done smiling like you just found the cure for cancer, you could tell us just what the <em>hell </em>that was that you just did?" he barked, a little cranky. Hmm, not that he should have been cranky, considering they had just done the impossible... what was that the eighth time that night, or the tenth? But... it had been one <em>hell</em> of a night, that was certain.</p><p>The look on the boy's face was priceless as he mulled over the request. It was obvious that the boy had an entire spiel prepared, explaining every detail of his oh-so clever plan in intricate detail, but the boy looked so damned exhausted that even he realized he'd probably pass out before he finished his explanation.</p><p>So instead, the pigtailed boy took a long, deep breath. "That thing healed any wound instantly a few seconds <em>after</em> every attack. So, we just made an attack that <em>didn't</em> stop," Saotome stopped for a moment, taking a few more breaths before continuing. "The only real trick to it, was usin Ryu's attacks together with ours. The Hiryua Shoten Ha, it sucks things up from the bottom and shoots em out the top, same with their attack." He gestured meaningfully to Natsume.</p><p>"All we did was use the vacuums that Ryu made. They dispersed all the air in the tornado, and since air could only get in the top and the bottom, but not the sides, <em>something </em>had to fill the vacuum. Since Kumon over there was pretty much stopping anything from getting in on our end, the only thing that could fill in said vacuum was the goo that filled up that monster."</p><p>Ryu nodded, "And by the time the stuff shot out and washed me away, there were already thousands of liters of the junk shooting out the bottom of the tornado, so no air could get back in. After that, it was pretty much all the work of gravity: the monster goo escaping to the lowest point."</p><p>Daizo stared back and forth between the two boys, astonishment clear on his features. "W-what the hell? That actually sounded like you knew what the hell you were talking about? Who are you two and what have you done with Saotome and Kumon?"</p><p>Ranma just chuckled. "Heh, as much as I don't care about school, old man, martial arts are pretty much all physics. We might not look like those fancy guys with lab coats, but when it comes to knowing how things work, we <em>do </em>know what we're talkin 'bout," stated the boy, a hint of pride in his tone.</p><p>The Lieutenant could only shake his head, utterly amazed. It was so easy to forget just how skilled these crazy kids were, and the incredible amount of knowledge they would need to possess to attain those skills. Still...</p><p>"Kid, I just gotta know, where the heck did you get the idea?"</p><p>The pigtailed boy shrugged weakly, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Well, ya see, right at the end there... I suddenly remembered something that I had seen earlier..."</p><p>Everyone continued to stare, urging the kid to continue. "Well... ya see, I just remembered this nifty commercial I saw on TV the other day..."</p><p>"For Cyclonic Vacuum Cleaners..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun howled in rage! His clawed limbs flashed out, tearing through wall, furniture, and minion alike. Everything around him vanished in his fit of rage, torn to shreds, smashed to pieces, or splattered into unrecognizable ink splotches against the remains of the building's interior.</p><p>And every single ink blot looked <em>exactly </em>like Saotome being disemboweled in the most painful ways imaginable!</p><p><em>How</em>? How was it possible for Deka-Mido to be defeated? His creation had been unstoppable, indestructible... and yet, it had been destroyed...in the most bizarre method imaginable. He had no idea how the martial artist had done... whatever it was that he had done, but it was becoming crystal clear that his enemy's power was growing more dangerous with every passing minute.</p><p>And now the bastard had <em>two more </em>comrades! These ones wielding power over the elements of thunder and lightning no less! If things continued at this rate, the Ink Demon would be buried under a veritable mountain of martial artists and superheroes before two months passed.</p><p>No... no, it was time to end this! He had to stop Saotome and his companions <em>now</em>, before they had a chance to gain even more power and allies. Not only that, he needed to make an <em>example </em>of these impudent heroes. He had to crush them so utterly, break their spirits so completely, that no one would <em>ever</em> dare to even raise a hand in defiance <em>again</em>!</p><p>Yes, a duel, that was it! A final, climactic battle between the forces of good and evil. Brushogun with his infinite power and evil versus Saotome and his pathetic skills and worthless companions.</p><p>A long, liquid chuckle escaped his lips. Yes, a duel, at a time and place of his own choosing, just as it was meant to be. It was time to close the chapter on the life of Saotome Ranma...</p><p>And he knew <em>exactly </em>how to make the challenge.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma led his rather sizable entourage back to the Tendo Dojo. They had left the Lieutenant back at the scene of the battle, literally shouting curses to the heavens at the mountains of paperwork that were going to result from that battle. The pigtailed boy certainly didn't envy the old man that task, in fact, he was sure that he had gotten the better end of the deal, after all, Ranma only had to defeat a twenty story, radioactive dinosaur, the Lieutenant was stuck cleaning up after that fight...</p><p>The walk back had been long (there wasn't a taxi in the city that would pick them up the way they were looking) and it had been rather quiet as well. They had taken a few minutes to explain the situation to the elemental twins, and how bad things had been getting lately, so the two of them had agreed to stick around for at least a little while to see if they couldn't help.</p><p>The reason that the walk had passed in comfortable silence was because of the sleeping girls in Ryu's and Thunder's arms. Natsume had lasted pretty much just long enough to hear Ranma's explanation of their victory, before she had joined her sister in slumber. So, no one really wanting to wake up either girl, and everyone being pretty much just too emotionally drained to wanna talk anyway, they had silently consented to introduce themselves a little more formally later.</p><p>Preferably after a bath, or three.</p><p>Finally! Finally, after what felt like forever (he was so going to ask for a ride next time) the roof of the Dojo came into sight. Gods, that was the last time that he ever walked that far after a pitched battle against a Godzilla looking monstrosity...</p><p>Hell, he sure as heck hoped that <em>was </em>the last time that he had a pitched battle against a Godzilla looking monstrosity.</p><p>Wait a second... something was wrong - something felt off.</p><p>He stiffened slightly at the foreign sensation, his companions doing likewise.</p><p>"There is a foul scent in the air, one that runs contrary to the laws of nature itself...," muttered Thunder in a somber tone.</p><p>Well, that was a good a way to put it as any. Not wanting to wait, Ranma signaled for Ryu and Thunder to wait and for Lightning to come with him. No need to endanger the sleeping girls.</p><p>The two of them ran towards the Dojo. Damn! There was a hole in the exterior wall! It looked like something had just smashed through the structure, spraying the backyard with rocks and mortar. They ran through the hole, scanning everything quickly. He... he didn't sense anything there, just the lingering traces of something that had been there. But whatever it was, like Thunder had said, it didn't feel right, not at all.</p><p>It took less than a second to see that a battle had taken place here. There was a gaping hole where the screen door used to be, but not from the usual, relatively controlled entrances of Shampoo, this looked like something had just torn half the wall away in one furious swipe.</p><p>In a flash, his armored companion hot on his heels, he jumped through the hole and into the Tendo's dining room. Again, the room was utterly destroyed, the obvious signs of a terrible and terribly swift battle everywhere.</p><p>A sense of dread began to build in the young martial artist's heart. He was sure he knew exactly what had happened here, exactly why they had come. He knew, without even taking another step, that he wouldn't be able to find his fiancée within the confines of this house...</p><p>Suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the entire night drop down on his head, he collapsed to his knees, lacking the strength to even stand. All he could do was stare at the floor, his eyes as empty as his heart. He was fairly sure he was going into shock... but strangely, the knowledge didn't seem to help him do anything about it.</p><p>It – it was all his fault... It was just like Nabiki said, because he was such an idiot...</p><p>A... Akane... she was...</p><p>"Ranma, look at this!" Lightning's shrill voice seemed like it was coming from another world, the words didn't even register to him as he continued to kneel there, the weight of his actions starting to crush down on his soul.</p><p>"It looks like a – a <em>challenge letter</em>... how traditional..."</p><p>The words continued to flow over Ranma like water over a rock, nothing the other boy could possibly say could reach him, not in the state he was in.</p><p>"Hmm, very nice calligraphy, hmm, I wonder who this 'Akane' girl is that he keeps going on abo-"</p><p>An instant later, Lightning was embedded in the far wall as Ranma slammed into him and tore the piece of paper from the boy's fingers with wild desperation. Quickly, as quickly as he could, Ranma started to read the artfully written letter. It began rather poetically...</p><p>'Dear Saotome,'</p><p>'I am known as Brushogun,'</p><p>
  <em>'I have Akane.'</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It was eerily quiet as the five of them sat around the low dining room table. Not even a gentle breeze or a jumping koi disturbed the painful silence; the only sounds that she could hear were the quiet intakes of breath from her and her companions. Ranma's breathing was notably erratic, as the wide-eyed warrior gazed in horror at the slip of paper in his hands.</p><p>It had been a rather rude awakening for Natsume and her sister, to discover that their pseudo-sister had been violently kidnapped while they had been out battling that monolithic beast. Even she, herself, the cool and calculating master of the Female School of Indiscriminate Grappling, was feeling an uncharacteristic tightness in her chest at the thought of the possible fates that Akane could be facing. Of course, as worried as she was, she knew it was as nothing compared to what the girl's fiancé must be feeling at that very moment.</p><p>No one else dared to even speak, just staring at the pigtailed youth with sympathetic expressions. Even Ryu, much to her surprise, was wearing a concerned look on his face. Over the days that she had gotten to know him, it had become obvious that there was no love lost between those two young men. However, as ruthless as the bandanna wearing boy tried to come across, moments like this revealed that he was not nearly as cold blooded as he would like everyone to believe.</p><p>The letter dropped from Ranma's nerveless fingers, but even then, he continued to stare vacantly through the space that it had just occupied. She refrained from looking too closely, but she noticed his lips start to move... not trembling, more like... like the boy was silently whispering to himself. Not wanting to intrude on his pain, she carefully reached out and grabbed the piece of paper to read herself.</p><p>No one else reached for the offending piece of parchment; rather they all looked at her expectantly, as if thinking she would read it aloud to them. She decided to ignore them for the moment and scan through the document herself. Perhaps it would shed some light on the fate of the missing Tendo girl, since Ranma was currently unable to speak of it.</p><p>She was immediately impressed by the penmanship of the writer; their calligraphy was easily the most beautiful she had ever seen. The author had also opened with a rather clever haiku, an interesting, if highly inappropriate artistic flair showing in their enemy's character.</p><p>So, their enemy was named Brushogun... hmm, how odd, it sounded very much like a portmanteau. Brushogun... Bru Shogun... Brush ogun... Brush Shogun? Well, it certainly didn't make any sense to her. It did seem to indicate, however, that their enemy thought quite highly of themselves, thought of themselves as a leader of men. Which did seem to make sense, considering he held an apparent army of dangerous creatures in his sway.</p><p>Regardless, she was getting sidetracked with meaningless contemplation. She quickly read through the rest of the beautifully scripted letter. Whoever the writer was, they were extremely verbose and delved deeply into the melodramatic with their writing; however, once one looked past the flowery rhetoric and prose, the heart of the letter was basically a call to challenge. Once she read the note a second time, just to be certain, she looked up to her fellow warriors.</p><p>"Our enemy, this... <em>Brushogun</em>," she stated the name with no small amount of disgust. "Has challenged Ranma, indeed, he has challenged all of us, to a duel; one last, climactic battle as he put it."</p><p>Incredulous expressions joined confused, concerned and outraged expressions as her companions reacted to her news.</p><p>"Brushogun has deigned to give us a week to prepare for the duel, which he states shall take place at the historic meeting place between Ranma and Saico-Tec... Directly before the twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building," she continued seriously.</p><p>Kurumi jumped up first. "But – but he has our sister! We can't leave her with him for a <em>whole</em> week, who knows what kind of terrible stuff he could be doing to her right now?" she asked in a panicked voice.</p><p>Strangely, Kurumi's last words got a response from the comatose Saotome, if only to cause him to whimper pitiably and drop his head to the table. Natsume sighed sympathetically, she didn't even want to imagine how hard this was for him, even without the aid of her sister's overactive imagination fanning the flames.</p><p>"I know, Kurumi, but Brushogun has also sworn that he will not harm her until the duel... unless we try to find him before that. However, he also writes that if we do attempt to locate him before the appointed date, he will... um... he will... well... the passage is quite descriptive but suffice it to say that Akane's fate will be sealed."</p><p>Ryu nodded, his gesture harsh and his posture stiff. "The bastard can do it, too. He obviously knows where we are, and he can spy on us whenever he damned well wants. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he was watching us this very second, somehow," growled the angry teen.</p><p>"But...," ventured Thunder with concern, "How can we be certain that this Brushogun will honor his word? How can we even be certain that your friend is even..." The large youth slowly trailed off, looking back toward the catatonic boy slumped across the table. The thunder spirit then looked down, his cheeks darkening in shame at his words. It was obvious to Natsume that he hadn't meant to make Ranma feel even worse.</p><p>Surprisingly, it was the ivory skinned Lightning that spoke up next, his voice empty of the superiority and condescension that it had held earlier. Lightning looked directly at Ranma, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "I am certain that your Akane is still with us, warrior. This <em>Brushogun</em> is a fool of the <em>highest </em>order! Rather than strike at us now, when we are weakened and vulnerable, he has given us an entire <em>week </em>to prepare. An entire week to prepare... his <em>funeral</em>, yes?"</p><p>The sharpness of those last words nearly cut Natsume to the metaphorical bone, but they seemed to be just the words that the pigtailed boy had needed to hear. Slowly, Ranma rose from his slumped position, staring at Lightning silently. His blue-gray eyes shone in the darkness, as if a great storm were gathering within the endless depths they contained. The defeated air that surrounded the boy seemed to melt away, only to be replaced with rigid iron.</p><p>With glacial slowness, Ranma locked eyes with Lightning... Natsume could almost see bolts of confidence arcing between them as they communicated their thoughts as if by telepathy. Ranma smiled, then, a grim smile, devoid of humor; instead, malice dripped from his curved lips like soured honey. Lightning matched the smile with a haughty, malevolent smile of his own.</p><p>Were it in her nature, Natsume would have felt concern for their villainous enemy.</p><p>Of course, Nerima being as it was... or at least how it had seemed to be to Natsume lately, fate chose that very moment to make things even <em>more </em>complicated. Eerily reminiscent to her own arrival roughly a week ago, the sound of the front door opening snatched the attention of everyone in the room. The sound of wood sliding over wood was quickly followed by a pair of voices flowing from just beyond their line of sight. Slowly, everyone turned to face the entrance hall, confusion on the faces of Thunder and Lightning, looks of dismay on the faces of Kurumi, Ryu, and herself.</p><p>Ranma's expression very quickly plummeted from vengeful, through dismayed and directly into horrified realization.</p><p>A moment later, the familiar forms of Mr. Saotome and Mr. Tendo rounded the corner, speaking animatedly to each other. This was a marked departure from the much more somber entrance they had made initially. Strangely, despite the tragedy of his two absent daughters, their almost-father had been slowly coming out of his endless grief, acting more vigorous and energetic then she could remember. Somehow, she doubted tonight's events would contribute to his marked improvement.</p><p>Mr. Saotome noticed them first, a wide smile on his face as he took them in. Of course, Saotome Genma, being who he was, completely missed the mood of the room and launched into an excited greeting.</p><p>"Ahh, our young heroes are enjoying a late-night meeting! How diligent-"</p><p>Suddenly, Genma did a double take, finally noticing the two new arrivals. How he could have possibly missed the dark giant and nearly luminescent youth was completely beyond Natsume's ability to fathom. The two older men studied the two new arrivals intently for a moment, taking in their odd appearances and attire.</p><p>Their one-time-uncle then laughed, loudly and obnoxiously. "Ha, Ranma, my boy! It seems like you've inherited the 'Saotome Charisma'! It seems like every time that Tendo and I turn our backs, you find another pair of martial artists to help you. Ha, if you keep up at this rate, we'll be buried under a mountain of martial artists before two months even pass."</p><p>Ranma, despite the seriousness of the situation, rolled his eyes in disbelief.</p><p>Unfortunately, while Mr. Saotome had been trying to claim some obscure form of genetic credit for Ranma's ability to draw comrades, Mr. Tendo was proving himself to be the more observant of the two. She watched the mustached man nervously as his eyes slowly traveled around the room. First, he surveyed the table, likely noticing the obvious absence. Then his eyes traveled up to the massive hole in the wall behind them; yet another thing she could not understand Mr. Saotome not noticing... or perhaps he did notice it, but was just so used to it that it didn't register...</p><p>Before Mr. Saotome could continue to damn his son with faint praise, Mr. Tendo placed a hand on the man's shoulder, silencing him surprisingly quickly. The Tendo patriarch then stepped forward, staring forcefully at the Saotome school heir.</p><p>"Ranma... where is Akane?" he asked with surprising iron in his voice.</p><p>Genma's head snapped up at that; he looked around the room as if just noticing all the not-so-subtle clues for the first time himself. Ranma, on the other hand, dropped his head shamefully, unable to even match Mr. Tendo's steely gaze.</p><p>"Ranma, please tell me where my daughter is," reiterated the older man, the iron in his voice beginning to corrode away.</p><p>Finally, the young Saotome looked up from his desolate position. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Tendo... she's not here... she's been taken..." he trailed off weakly.</p><p>Mr. Tendo just sort of... stared at the boy, as if not quite believing what he was hearing. However, behind the long-haired man's back, Mr. Saotome just rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Akane, kidnapped? Must be Tuesday...," he muttered quietly to himself.</p><p>Not quietly enough, apparently, as Soun suddenly spun on his oldest friend, his entire head expanding to monstrous proportions! The Tendo patriarch's face took on a demonic appearance and his tongue began to flail disturbingly as he hollered angrily at the bespectacled martial artist.</p><p><em>"Saotome! <strong>How dare you joke about this?"</strong></em> wailed the man in a fairly passable imitation of a banshee.</p><p>Natsume's eyes nearly popped from her skull at the display. Never had she seen such a sight! Around the table, Kurumi, Ryu, Thunder and Lightning all flinched back at the demonic presence, completely in shock. Was Mr. Tendo a demon... how could he perform such a feat? If it weren't for the fact that both Genma and Ranma were so completely unaffected by the display (Ranma still too distraught to notice and Genma wearing a slightly bored look) she would have probably lashed out violently.</p><p>Mr. Saotome's nonchalant reaction put everyone else at ease as well, as he casually patted his old friend's shoulder. Shaking his head in amusement, the headscarf wearing martial artist chuckled lightly. "Come now, Tendo. There's no need to worry yourself like this. My boy will go and get her back, just like always."</p><p>Then, Ranma surprised her, standing up and glaring heatedly at his father. "No, pops," he bit out harshly, "This ain't like all those other times. Whoever this guy is, he ain't no loopy prince or cursed martial artist." The boy looked down then, actual moisture forming in his eyes.</p><p>"Po... D-dad," He looked up, an emotion on his face that Natsume had never seen there before, not even when they were battling that mountainous beast. "I'm scared, dad, more scared than I've ever been in my life. H-he'll kill her, if we don't do what he says, he'll do it... gods... Akane..." he trailed off in anguish.</p><p>Apparently, this latest revelation did nothing to put Mr. Tendo at ease.</p><p>"<strong><em>What</em></strong>!" Suddenly the older martial artist grabbed Ranma's shoulder and pulled the boy within an inch of his face. "Then what are you still <em>doing</em>here, Ranma?" Tears started to stream down Mr. Tendo's face as he shouted in impotent fury. "You were supposed to <em>protect</em>her! How could you let this <em>happen</em>?"</p><p>"<em>Enough</em>!"</p><p>Natsume's shout stopped everyone dead in their tracks. She couldn't stand watching Mr. Tendo yell at her comrade in arms as if his own self-recriminations weren't bad enough. "Mr. Tendo, release Ranma this instant!" she barked out. The look of surprise on his face was strangely satisfying for some reason. A second later, he did just as she asked. Looking at the older man critically, she took a moment to calm and center herself once more.</p><p>"Ranma is not to blame for this," she stated forcefully. "While this abduction took place, he was with us, doing our best to protect the city from a powerful evil. There was no way that any of us could have known this would have happened and nothing we could have done even if we did.</p><p>"Furthermore, there is only one person here that is truly obligated to protect Akane, however," She sniffed the air then, her nose wrinkling noticeably at the disgusting odor coming off the two adults. "However, while Ranma and the rest of us were out battling a mountain made flesh, apparently <em>that</em> person decided that their time would be better spent at the <em>bar</em>," she finished sharply.</p><p>Ryu let out a low whistle from across the table, "<em>Ouch</em>," he murmured quietly to himself. The storm brothers seemed to share his thoughts, markedly looking around the room, avidly <em>not </em>looking at anyone else.</p><p>Just as she intended, though, her words cut deepest in the target that was Tendo Soun. Almost instantly, the man seemed to deflate in shame. In mere moments, the once tall and proud martial artist went from holding up his future son-in-law, to suddenly leaning on him like a crutch as all the life drained out of him.</p><p>In about the same span of time, Natsume's feeling of righteous indignation died a withering death. Suddenly, Mr. Tendo didn't look like some angry person, senselessly blaming Ranma for everything that went wrong... all too suddenly, he looked very much like a loving father who had just discovered that his youngest daughter was in the clutches of a murderous monster and he didn't know what to do...</p><p>To say that she now felt like the most incredible heel in the history of the world was a gross understatement. She shifted uneasily for a moment, unable even to find the words to apologize... what <em>could </em>she say after what she had just spewed out? Even Kurumi was staring at her, w-was that actual <em>anger </em>in her eyes? Her sister had never looked at her like that in her life... but how could she blame her?</p><p>"It's okay, Mr. Tendo." Natsume's dark thoughts were cut off as she looked up in surprise. Before her, Ranma was carefully placing his arm under Soun's shoulders and using his body to support the older man. There wasn't any anger or shame on his face, no pain at being unfairly blamed for Akane's disappearance. Rather, he stared at the distraught man with perfect understanding and sympathy.</p><p><em>'How sad was that?</em>' she thought to herself. That Ranma would understand Mr. Tendo's lashing out while <em>she </em>jumped to conclusions...</p><p>"This Brushogun guy just made the biggest mistake of his life," Ranma began in a quietly confident tone of voice. "Nobody kidnaps Akane and gets away with it. I swear that I'll get her back; I'll get her back or die trying."</p><p>Once again, almost too quiet to hear, Ryu mumbled to himself, "It <em>better</em> not come to that." The boy looked away and crossed his arms in annoyance.</p><p>Slowly, Mr. Tendo looked Ranma in the eyes, measuring the young man carefully. Then, he nodded, as if coming to a decision. He then pushed himself off Ranma, standing straight once more. "I-I believe you, Ranma. I have faith that you <em>will</em> bring her back, just as you've always done. However, if I can't help you in the battle to come, then at least I will help you prepare for the fight," stated the, now deadly serious, martial artist.</p><p>Ranma just nodded, agreeing easily with Mr. Tendo. "Alright, but we'll start tomorrow. Why don't you show Thunder and Lightning to the Dojo, they can stay there since Ryu is in Nabiki's room and Natsume and Kurumi are in Kasumi's?" he suggested.</p><p>Well, it hardly mattered to Natsume where everyone slept, really, but she <em>was</em> interested in learning more about their two newest comrades. After nodding solemnly, Mr. Tendo wandered over and bowed politely to the two armored young men, before leading them off towards the Dojo. Quietly, she followed them. Honestly, the introductions had been put off long enough, she could stave off her exhaustion for a few more hours if it meant finally sating her burning curiosity.</p><p>Absently, she sensed Kurumi follow behind her... at least until the younger girl suddenly got a spurt of energy and bounced past her into the Dojo. She smiled weakly; it appeared her younger sister was even more eager to know about their new friends than she was. Almost out of the corner of her eye she noticed the Kumon boy rising to his feet finally. He seemed lost in indecision for a moment... until finally he uncrossed his arms with a sigh and started to follow them into the Dojo.</p><p>Her smile widened slightly at that. However, as observant as she was...</p><p>No one noticed as Ranma quietly glided up the stairs.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The minute flash of the digital clock as the numbers changed, yet again, drew his attention. It was the only real light in the room, asides from the dim starlight filtering under the heavy curtains, and really, it wasn't exactly doing a great job of illuminating the room. With a sigh, Ranma leaned back against Akane's bed, pulling his knees tighter to his chest.</p><p>It was well past three in the morning, and yet sleep still evaded him like Happosai on a panty raid.</p><p>It wasn't his father's incessant snoring that kept him awake, he was more than used to that by now, though it had driven him from their room. In search of silence and solitude, he had slipped into his fiancée's room after everyone had settled down for the night. Really, it was the only place he wanted to be right then. As confident as he had tried to sound for Soun, he was still worried; so much that he couldn't bare the idea of sitting around and chatting with Ryu or the others... as selfish as that sounded.</p><p>He took another deep breath, savoring the lingering scent of the stubborn Tomboy that hung in the air. It was odd, it wasn't like Akane hadn't been kidnapped before... but he'd never felt like this those other times. Sure, he'd been angry before, pissed right the hell off, even, and charging off without a moment’s notice to beat down whatever jerk had been stupid enough to do it...</p><p>But this wasn't like those times, was it? Like he'd said, this wasn't some idiot prince looking for a bride, or ol' Pantyhose Tarou trying to get his name changed. In the former situations, Akane's greatest threat had been getting fat from eating all the fancy food or getting all tangled up in some ridiculously expensive clothing. In the latter case, well, even as much of a jerk as Tarou was, all he wanted was his name changed. People didn't brutally murder other people just to get their name changed...</p><p>His eyes squeezed painfully closed as he vainly tried to shut out the images his imagination conjured at that thought. What Brushogun had wrote in that letter... what he had threatened to do to Akane...</p><p>Gods, could he really do this? Was this the kind of stuff that actual superheroes had to deal with all the time? When had everything gone so crazy? What happened to his carefree days of fighting endless and pointless duels just for the sake of fighting endless and pointless duels? Where all his enemies cried "Prepare to die!" but none of them really <em>meant it</em>. As bad as Ryouga had been, as Ryu had been, heck even as bad as Herb had been, it had always just been a challenge, someone to test his skills against. They all wanted something, that something just happened to involve beating the tar out of one Saotome Ranma, but none of them were ever a threat to his friends, his family.</p><p>Well, that wasn't entirely true... There had been one opponent that had drawn these feelings out of him before.</p><p>When they had faced down with the Headmaster... He shuddered unconsciously at the memory. He'd stared death in the face several times that night, his own death, Ryouga's death, Akane's death; he'd thought they were all goners there a few times. For just a moment there, when the Headmaster had vanished with a comatose Ryouga, Ranma had felt a fraction of what he felt now; knowing that someone that was almost like a cornerstone in his life was helpless at the hands of a madman.</p><p>Oddly, though, as brutal as that fight had been, he'd never really doubted their victory. With Ryouga at his side and Raven at his back... especially with Raven at his back, he just knew they would win.</p><p>So... why didn't he feel that same unshakable faith now? Heck, he had twice as many superheroes at his back and <em>three </em>times as many martial artists at his side, so why was he still so worried?</p><p>A sudden beep shattered the deathly silence. So involved in his thoughts, Ranma didn't even think to panic and start frantically searching for a bomb... really, it'd been weeks since he'd fought that power ranger wannabe anyway. A tiny jolt of enthusiasm seemed to pop out of seemingly nowhere, as he pulled out the round device from his pocket. It shone... well, under the non-existent light of the alarm clock, it was pretty much just a round patch of black on the hand shaped patch of black beneath it. Of course, he was pretty use to these late-night talks, so he flipped open the tiny communicator without any trouble.</p><p>He had to look away for a second, as the tiny view screen flashed to life before him. It took him a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the sudden flood of light... flood of light being relative here. Unsurprisingly, the screen was filled with the pale face and violet hair of the Titan known as Raven; not that he'd have it any other way.</p><p>Somehow, despite everything, a moxibustion weak smile curled up the corner of his mouth. "Well, speak of the devil," he murmured quietly.</p><p>Any other time, he would have laughed madly as Raven sputtered indignantly at his greeting. A moment later, she leveled a glare at him that would have taken his head off if he had been anywhere on the same continent with her. "You have <em>no idea </em>how much I <em>loathe </em>that expression," she growled in that cutely irate manner she seemed to use constantly when speaking to him.</p><p>He forced himself to chuckle weakly. She wasn't in the room with him, so maybe he could fool her into thinking everything was alright, the last thing he wanted to do was burden his friend with his problems, or heaven forbid, have her pass those problems onto the tower's other residents. "Sorry 'bout that, Rae, I guess I wasn't thinking. So, to what do I owe the honor of your call, it is kinda late, ya know?"</p><p>Raven nodded, her own smile looking a little more strained than usual as well. It seemed like she had something on her mind too. He chuckled sadly to himself, what a pair they were. "Well, Beast Boy managed to stumble across your rather impressive fight on the news last night," she started off. The corner of her mouth curved just another fraction of an inch, starting to look more like a sincere smile. "Though I'm loathe to admit it, I was worried about you and I wanted to make certain that you were unharmed."</p><p>Something odd happened in Ranma's chest then, an odd tightness that he couldn't identify. He had no idea what it meant, but he found himself looking away and blinking his eyes rapidly, feeling an extremely uncharacteristic buildup of moisture beginning to form.</p><p>She had been <em>worried</em> about him? She'd wanted to make sure he was okay? Well... damn... there was a first time for everything it seemed. Rather forcefully, he pushed the unfamiliar <em>feelings</em> back down where they belonged, healthily twisted up into a tight little ball and safely bottled up. A second later, he looked back to his friend, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.</p><p>"Heh, but, Rae, I thought you didn't <em>do</em> worried?"</p><p>The young sorceress rolled her eyes in bemusement. "Yes, well I generally make exceptions for people that get into fights with anything over ten stories tall. Of course, if you tell anyone about this rule of mine, I shall be forced to hurt you," she replied in good humor.</p><p>Against his will, his smile grew a fraction of an inch at her words. His fingers tightened around the cool plastic of the communicator for a moment as he berated himself for being happy for a moment. What was he doing? Hadn't he just thought to himself that he didn't want to talk to anyone, and yet here he was, smiling at a pretty girl?</p><p>Gods, Ryouga was right, he <em>was </em>an enemy of women.</p><p>"Yeah," he continued hesitantly, "Well, it was touch and go there for a bit, but I had a lot of help. Heh, I already told ya bout Ryu, and Akane's sisters, but we got two <em>more </em>people helpin us now. Heh, these ones pretty much just dropped out of the sky, even."</p><p>One of the girl's eyebrows arched cutely, as she looked at him with a knowing expression on her face. "Yes, we saw them on the news. My only regret is that you weren't there to see Beast Boy's face when he saw our old friends, Thunder and Lightning, show up. I must say, none of us were expecting that."</p><p>Ranma nodded for a moment, before doing a double take. "Wait a sec! You <em>know </em>those two? Man, talk about your small world. So, what, did they help you take out some other bad guy back in the good ol' days?" he asked in amusement. Man, what were the odds of running into someone that the Titans had already worked with?</p><p>The other corner of Raven's perfect lips curved up, turning her amused smirk into a genuine smile. "Actually, they were terrorizing our fair city when we first met them. It turned out to be quite the battle, I must admit those two were a handful. Luckily, though I can't imagine how, our earnest little Beast Boy helped them to see the error of their ways. I think they'll make a good addition to your team, they are quite powerful," she explained.</p><p>He just shook his head in amusement. "You actually <em>fought </em>those guys? Sheesh, can I not get <em>one </em>person to work with that wasn't an antagonist at one time or another? And what's this <em>team </em>stuff that you're talkin 'bout? I ain't startin up no Titans Way Far East here, just doin my best to stop this Brushogun guy from tearin about the city," he replied earnestly.</p><p>Hell, he didn't wanna say it out loud, especially not to Raven, but he didn't even know if he wanted to continue with this whole superhero thing. Of course, he was going to take down Brushogun, whoever the heck the jerk was, and get back Akane, but... but after that... he just wasn't sure he could do it. There was just so much more at stake than he was used to...</p><p>"Ranma?" a concerned voice cut through the darkness.</p><p>He suddenly started. Looking at the clock, he realized that he'd been spaced out for a whole minute, just contemplating everything that had gone wrong lately.</p><p>"Is everything all right?" she asked again, her voice becoming slightly insistent.</p><p>The pigtailed boy shook his head quickly, trying to regain his composure. "Um... uh, yeah, everything's fine on my end, just a little tired... yeah, that's it," he replied lamely.</p><p>He noticed that sometime during his loss of attention, his tele-friend's warm smile had descended into a worried frown. And as soon as she heard his rather pathetic response, her usually intense gaze became even more so.</p><p>"What's wrong, Ranma? I know I haven't known you very long, but I've never seen you look so... frightened before," she stated, a tiny amount of wonder in her voice.</p><p>Quietly, Ranma weighed his options. He could continue trying to ineffectually hide his problem, continue deceiving one of the few people that considered him to be an honest and true friend... or, or he could just get over himself and tell her the truth. As much as it would hurt his pride to admit that things weren't under his control here, this was Raven; he knew he could trust her.</p><p>This time there was nothing he could do to stop the water beading up at the corner of his eyes. He could almost feel the strength drain from his body and he curled up into a ball in front of Akane's bed, clutching the communicator tightly in his hands.</p><p>"It-it's Akane," he said in anguish. "While we were out fighting off that monster, that Brushogun guy came in and kidnapped her!"</p><p>Raven let out a shocked gasp. "No!" Suddenly, there was a flurry of motion behind Raven, it looked like the girl was quickly rising to her feet. "I'll tell Robin right away, we'll be there within a day at the most," she stated rapidly.</p><p>"Gods, <em>no</em>!" he nearly shouted. He quieted down instantly, looking around suspiciously to hear if anyone had awoken to his outburst. He then looked down to the surprised face of Raven.</p><p>"What do you mean: 'no'?" she asked in confusion.</p><p>He let out a long sigh. "Look, don't take it the wrong way, Raven. I mean, if it were just you, then I'd say 'sure, come on over', but you can't tell anyone else over there what happened, not Kasumi and '<em>specially </em>not Ryouga," he stated emphatically.</p><p>She offered him a quizzical look. "Why ever not? Kasumi is her sister, and Ryouga would be the most insistent on helping you to rescue Akane."</p><p>He took her quizzical look and returned it in the form of an incredulous stare. "If you tell Kasumi, all it'll do is worry her, and... um, do you even <em>know</em> Hibiki Ryouga? If you tell him that Akane got kidnapped while I was out doin something else, that moron will be here in fifteen minutes trying his best to <em>brutally murder </em>me." Not that he was <em>actually </em>worried about Ryouga trying to kill him... not really, it would just be a major distraction that he couldn't afford.</p><p>And... he hadn't <em>exactly </em>figured out how to beat the guy's new toughness yet.</p><p>"You really shouldn't say such terrible things about your friend, Ranma, he was just as worried about you as I was," she fired back, sounding slightly miffed. Well, it seemed Raven and Akane did have one thing in common, they both seemed to take Ryouga's side in an argument. Then suddenly the last thing that Raven had said rang through his mind.</p><p>He let out a disbelieving snort. "Ryouga actually said he was <em>worried </em>about me?"</p><p>Raven chose that moment to look at something on the ground uncertainly. "Well, not in so many words, no. He did grumble about you getting all the good fights for a bit, and he <em>did </em>call you an insufferable show-off when all of you did that last attack, but trust me, he was still really worried," she answered rather unconvincingly.</p><p>Ranma shook his head at that. Yeah, right, like the Lost Boy would actually be worried about him. "Look, as much as I'd appreciate your help, Brushogun has us over a barrel here. He knows where we live and he's probably watching us already. He set up a duel for a week from tonight and said if we try to find him before that, that he'll kill Akane. If six more superheroes suddenly show up and start scouring the city for him, Akane is as good as dead," he explained. He was starting to feel angry again, though not at Raven, or her generous offer to help. Rather it was the feeling of helplessness that he hated so much, he hadn't felt it this badly for weeks and he'd been quite happy at the absence.</p><p>His violet eyed friend nodded in understanding. "Very well, I won't tell the others, for now. However, if things go badly at the duel, I want you to tell me, we'll help you any way that we can, I promise."</p><p>He smirked weakly, her words lifting his sorely sagging spirits a tiny bit. "Don't you worry, Rae, I got this in the bag. Heh, though I gotta admit, I was half expecting some bigwig in a cape to drop in on the fight tonight. I mean, it ain't every night that a twenty-story nuclear lizard goes rampaging through downtown Tokyo... contrary to popular belief," he joked half heartedly.</p><p>Strangely though, Raven seemed to take his joke much more seriously than he intended. Rather than grace him with one of her mysterious little smiles, or even more rare and precious, an actual giggle, she shook her head from side to side, her lips pressed together in a flat line.</p><p>"The Justice League won't be interfering with any of your battles," she stated in a strangely serious tone.</p><p>He looked at her curiously. "Huh? Why the heck not? I mean, sure, a lot of the stuff lately has been pretty small and quick, but aren't they supposed to look out for the really big stuff?" he asked, confused.</p><p>The corner of her mouth quirked up a fraction of an inch. "They will not, because we told them not to," she explained quietly.</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" He clapped his hand over his mouth, hoping he didn't wake up anyone with his latest outburst. He continued more quietly, nearly hissing. "You <em>told </em>them not to help me?"</p><p>Raven rolled her eyes once again; hmm girls seemed to do that a lot around him, he wondered why. "We did, but not in the way that you think. You see, when the Titans first started, Robin had a long argument with his mentor, the Batman."</p><p>"Really? Why the heck did he do that?" he asked, interested despite himself.</p><p>The pretty girl let out a long sigh. "Apparently, Batman was concerned about the makeup of our team. After all, we were all so young, some of us barely into our teens when Robin brought us together. It was glaringly obvious that he didn't think we could handle the rigors of functioning as a team of superheroes."</p><p>Ranma grumbled to himself, stupid adults, always acting like they knew what was best for everyone. Gods, if he listened to everything his pops told him, he be married ten times over and dead twenty.</p><p>"As you can imagine, Robin disagreed with him in a most heartfelt manner. Robin was aware that we were young, that was the whole idea really. He didn't want to bring together a group of individuals, he wanted to grow a real team. He also knew that would be impossible with such an imposing safety net hanging under us, waiting to clean up after us if we ever messed up," she continued quietly.</p><p>He nodded silently; he could understand that. People had to do things for themselves, having someone watching over your shoulder to make sure you were doing it right, it was probably the most condescending thing he could think of. Of course, the only one that fell into that category for him would be Cologne, but she understood that fact better than anyone. She would offer training and advice, but when it came down to fighting, he was always on his own.</p><p>And he wouldn't have it any other way.</p><p>"So, after a most verbal debate, it was agreed that the Justice League would stay out of our affairs and we would stay out of theirs. Of course, since you are an honorary member of our team, and more importantly, you have one of our communicators, you won't see any of the old guard at any of your fights."</p><p>Ranma let out a loud snort at that. "Feh, so Batsie gets into a cussing match with Robin, and now none of them will help us out at all, no matter how bad it gets? Man, talk about your world class jerks!"</p><p>"Well, that's not exactly true," she interrupted his rant abruptly. "The League isn't quite that fickle. They'll gladly give us their help at any given moment, all we have to do... is <em>ask </em>for it," Raven trailed off meaningfully.</p><p>The pigtailed boy mulled <em>that </em>piece of information over for a moment. So, all they needed to do to get help from the head honchos was ask for it, eh? All they needed to do was crawl back to Robin's mentor, tell him that he was right, they were wrong and that they actually <em>couldn't </em>handle the big bad battle against evil all by their lonesome.</p><p>He let out a harsh bark of laughter. Ranma was damned sure that he would choke to death if he ever tried to swallow his own pride like that; he imagined it was pretty much the same for Robin and everyone else as well.</p><p>"So," he chuckled weakly, "No help from the Justice League then, eh?"</p><p>Against all expectation, he was rewarded with the rarest of the rare, Raven actually laughed.</p><p>"Yes, that sums it up nicely. Now, please, tell me everything that happened."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu stretched out languidly on the smooth tiles beneath him. The afternoon sun was just warm enough to offset the slight chill in the breeze, so he found himself in an almost mythical aura of comfort that he rarely had time to enjoy. Lying back on the gentle slope of the roof, he casually placed his hands behind his head so that he could still watch the goings on in the backyard below him.</p><p>He did feel like a bit of a slacker, resting on the roof while Natsume and Kurumi were still training, but then, he'd slept terribly last night anyway. It had been an exhausting night after all, not to mention getting pummeled by a waterfall of green ooze had left him with a few more aches and pains than he'd let on. Even worse was the taste that he just couldn't get out of his mouth, no matter what he did. Idly, his tongue scrubbed the inside of his mouth for a moment before he was forced to spit the tainted saliva onto the roof beside him.</p><p>Not that he'd tell anyone else, but he was having a difficult time getting as worked up over that Akane girl's kidnapping as Natsume and everyone else did. But, hey, it wasn't like he really knew the girl or anything. Sure, he'd help, but they couldn't expect him to get all bent out of shape over it, could they? It wasn't like it <em>really </em>affected him that much.</p><p>Besides, Mr. High-and-mighty Ranma hadn't even shown his face all day. The Yamasen-ken master had expected to see Saotome waiting for all of them in the Dojo that morning, just itching to train. Obviously, the whole kidnapping thing hit him harder than Ryu had expected. He let out a quiet snort.</p><p>Man, what a pansy.</p><p>His quiet snort turned into an annoyed grunt, as a small cloud somehow positioned itself perfectly to block the warming rays of the sun. Then his annoyance blossomed further, as the errant cloud seemed to grow larger, if only to spite his furtive attempts to relax.</p><p>Wait a second, the cloud wasn't growing, it was dropping... right towards him!</p><p>For a fraction of a second, a fraction of a second which he regretted immediately, he panicked. But then realization rolled over him in a wave. Once again kicking himself for his momentary lapse in judgment, he put on his most disinterested face and looked back down into the yard to watch Natsume and Kurumi dance around Mr. Tendo in an intricate spar.</p><p>A few seconds later, the small nimbus lowered down to his side and the soft-spoken Thunder dropped silently to the roof beside him. Maintaining his aloof appearance, Ryu simply rolled his eyes in the big guy's direction and gave him a simple nod of recognition. Pleasantly, Thunder just returned the quiet gesture, rather than offer up some inane attempt at conversation. A moment later, the creaking of leather and metal sounded as the superhuman youth lowered himself to the roof as well, sitting quietly at his side to watch the display in the backyard.</p><p>Not that Ryu didn't like the guy or anything, he could appreciate having someone around that didn't feel the need to clutter up every given minute with endless chattering. Not like that motor-mouthed brother of his, or that Kurumi girl. Heck, he could do with a few more people like Thunder and Natsume, they were the most pleasant company that he'd had in awhile.</p><p>Down below them, Natsume and Kurumi were artfully teaming up on Mr. Tendo now, the old man showing a surprising amount of skill. Where he had been hiding it, Ryu had no idea. Of course, it was obvious that Natsume was holding back, only using her conventional attacks, but it was still impressive, nonetheless. Hmm, maybe he'd ask the chilling brunette to spar later, maybe he could incorporate some of her wind-based attacks into his Yamasen-ken if he could figure them out. There were some basic similarities in execution, so who knew?</p><p>Absently, he swiveled his eyes to look at his dark-skinned companion. They'd made some brief introductions last night, though Ranma had skipped out, but there was one thing that he'd wanted to ask the big guy all night.</p><p>"Hey, Thunder," he started in an off-hand tone.</p><p>In a most casual manner, Thunder turned to face him, leaning back onto his elbows comfortably. "Yes?" he asked simply.</p><p>Ryu chuckled to himself, yes, for a physical representation of thunder, Thunder himself was a quiet person. "I was just wonderin, why the heck did you guys stick around last night? I mean, it sounds like it's gonna get pretty dangerous and this has nothing to do with you guys."</p><p>The large teen looked at him owlishly for several moments, apparently mulling over his question carefully. Ryu waited patiently, mindful of his companion's contemplative nature. Finally, Thunder replied, in that deep, rumbling voice of his. "There are two reasons for our remaining with your group. First is because we are searching for something. We are not certain where it is, but we have followed it this far. Considering the beast we ran into last night, we believe that this area is worth investigating further."</p><p>Hmm, that was interesting. He was about to ask him just what they were looking for, when the blue skinned boy continued.</p><p>"The second reason is because we also believe that you would benefit from our help. Had that monster been a singular instance, we likely would have left soon after, but when your Police Lieutenant explained that there has been a number of these monsters attacking recently, and all apparently related, it only makes sense that we should remain here at least long enough to help you defeat whoever is behind these beasts," the young man finally finished what was probably one of the longest run on sentences that Ryu could remember.</p><p>He thought about the response for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders. "Why does it make sense for you to get involved in a fight you don't know anything about?"</p><p>Thunder contemplated this question much more quickly than the last. Smiling a small smile, the thunder spirit answered enthusiastically. "Because it is our duty to help those in need and to protect the innocent." The boy curled his fingers into a tight fist, azure light crackling loudly from between them. "Our powers are great; thus, we bear a great responsibility to use them wisely. A young man, wise beyond his years, taught me that at a great personal cost."</p><p>"Feh, that's bullcrap," the Kumon Heir scoffed loudly.</p><p>His companion stared at him, completely unable to comprehend what he'd just uttered. Finally, after a moment of staring at him in shock, Thunder could only mutter quietly. "What do you mean?"</p><p>Ryu shrugged again, once more looking down to the spectacle below. "Look, just because you have some fancy powers, it doesn't mean that you're actually obligated to do anything with them. I mean, did you ask for your powers, or anything like that? Either way, you don't owe anyone anything, but yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should go on a rampage or anything, or that helping people out isn't a good thing, but your first responsibility should always be to yourself. After all, what good is saving everyone else, if all it gets you is the shaft?"</p><p>"The... shaft? I'm not certain I understand what you mean," inquired the gentle giant.</p><p>Ryu rolled his eyes in amusement. "I mean, what good is making other people happy, if you aren't happy yourself? If all you're gonna do is fly around and help people, then people are just gonna think of you like some kind of suped up civil servant. Heck, at least cops get paid for doing that kinda thing all the time."</p><p>He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry at the utterly confused look on his companion's face. It seemed obvious that this had been the last conversation he'd expected to have. Then some kind or realization formed on the guy's face and his look became serious once more. "But are you not helping to stop these villains because it is the right thing to do? Are not our companions down below also doing the same?" Thunder asked, slightly forceful, slightly confused.</p><p>The Kumon Heir just shook his head, chuckling weakly. "Heh, sorry to burst your bubble, big guy, but I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I'm getting something especially important from helping Saotome out here, something I couldn't do without. Don't think our pretty ladies down there are doin this for free either. Sure, the good intention is there, but Natsume has some pragmatic reasons of her own. She's solely responsible for taking care of her sister, who eats like a <em>horse </em>by the way, so doing this gets her free room and board for awhile."</p><p>Thunder just stared at him, perhaps a bit sadly.</p><p>"Hey now, Thunder, don't get too upset there. I'm not saying that any of us wouldn't be doing this if we weren't getting anything out of it, I'm just asking you, is it wrong that we should be able to benefit from helping others as well? I don't know about you, but Natsume, Kurumi and I are all orphans, we don't have any family or homes to go back to, so why the heck shouldn't we get something out of risking our lives?" As soon as he finished, he took a few deep breaths, that had been a longer speech than any he'd given in recent memory.</p><p>Slowly, his companion's head began to nod up and down, an expression of understanding beginning to form. "Hmm, you have... given me much to think upon. One must not completely forget oneself when helping others. As you say, were Natsume to accept our host's hospitality or refuse it, either way she would still be responsible for caring and providing for her sister. To refuse what is freely offered, though noble, would be foolish."</p><p>Ryu nodded, smiling happily. "There ya go. There's nothing wrong with helping people, just remember to help yourself out every once in awhile too. Heck, even Saotome, our oh so noble role model got a free motorcycle and a bunch of other junk out of this too, hmph, wherever the guy is."</p><p>Once again, his large companion nodded, though this time leaning back to rest once more on the tiled roof beneath him. True to his words, the large teen seemed to be thinking about their conversation. Not that Ryu wanted to turn the guy all jaded and cynical or anything, but he seemed like a decent guy and Ryu didn't want to see him get taken advantage of all the time. After all, the only thing that people love more than cheering a hero on, is tearing a hero down.</p><p>Feeling his earlier sense of comfortable calm settling back over him in the companionable silence that surrounded them, he let his eyes linger once more on a certain long-haired beauty. The girl in question was just in the midst of leaping over the older Tendo, mixing up her attacks with a few kicks. His eyebrow rose slightly at that, it was good to see her getting away from her over reliance on her weapon. As excellent as her technique was, it was still the most basic weakness of any fighter that relied on their weapon, that as soon as you removed said weapon the fight was pretty much over.</p><p>It wasn't until nearly ten minutes later, that the silence was once again broken. This time Thunder started off, looking at him with a sly smile on his face.</p><p>"You love her, do you?" he asked, a tiny note of amusement in his deep voice.</p><p>It was all that he could do, to stop himself from scoffing out loud. Instead, he let out a burst of mirthless laughter as he turned to regard his smiling companion. "What on earth brought that on? You just enjoy jumping to conclusions?"</p><p>Thunder just smiled wider. "I apologize if I embarrass you. I do not mean to insinuate anything, but the way that you look at her so often, I must wonder if you are smitten with her?"</p><p>Ryu let out a long sigh at that. There were way too many old fashioned and hopeless romantic types around here. "Please, I look at her like that because she's <em>hot.</em> It doesn't mean I'm in love with her, it just means I'm a guy."</p><p>"She is... hot?" Ryu rolled his eyes again, yeah, definitely too many old-fashioned people.</p><p>"It means that she's attractive, you do know what that means, don't you?" he asked a bit condescendingly.</p><p>His companion scowled darkly, a veritable thundercloud forming on his face. A moment later, he crossed his arms in a huff. "I understand what it means for a woman to be attractive, thank you. There is no need to be insulting."</p><p>The bandanna wearing boy chuckled lightly but decided to take pity on his new friend. "Heh, I know you do, considering the way that you've been looking at Kurumi down there yourself," he trailed off suggestively.</p><p>This time the darkening of Thunder's cheeks was for a completely different reason. "I do not know what you speak of, Ryu. To possess such base thoughts concerning a fellow warrior would be unseemly and disrespectful," he answered rather hastily.</p><p>An actual burst of laughter escaped from Ryu's lips at that. "Oh, man, Thunder, you really need to calm down. It's just us guys up here, and guys are allowed to look at cute girls... well, as long as it's not peeping at them through windows or in the shower or anything indecent like that. Besides, as young as she acts, I'm pretty sure she's somewhere between fourteen and sixteen; you can't be much older than sixteen or seventeen yourself, can you, kid?" he asked good-naturedly.</p><p>Thunder nodded, still blushing slightly. "I am seventeen years of age. I-I am thankful that you are so understanding, I have never really had anyone to speak to about these kinds of things. My brother is always so focused on finding fun, and dislikes speaking about serious matters."</p><p>Ryu waved the younger boy's concerns off casually. "Heh, I'd hardly call this a serious matter, but I can imagine it'd be uncomfortable talking to your brother about something like this. You just can't take things so seriously. Looking at a girl doesn't mean you're in love with them or anything... I mean, I guess it can, sometimes, but it doesn't have to. Heck, I only met Natsume a week ago, you only met the squirt last night. It'd be pretty ridiculous if anything could develop that quickly."</p><p>It was finally Thunder's turn to laugh happily. He then sat up, dropping his arms casually onto his raised knees as he watched the battle down below. "Again, you make such simple, yet profound statements. Still, despite what you say, it is not simple attraction that I feel when I gaze upon her. Perhaps it is nothing even involving affection, what I feel when I look at her is the desire to protect her, to shield her from any harm that the world might visit upon her. I know to think such things about a fellow warrior is unworthy, but I find myself unable to do otherwise."</p><p>With a quiet laugh, Ryu nodded. "A nice thought, but you better not let her hear you say that. That's just the kind of thing that will get you a black eye around these parts," he warned.</p><p>His companion looked back at him owlishly. "Do you not feel the same desire to protect Natsume that I feel for her sister?" he asked curiously.</p><p>"Heck, no!" he barked out emphatically.</p><p>"What?" barked back his companion in disbelief.</p><p>This time, Ryu met the boy's stormy eyes with a serious gaze. "I have absolutely no desire to protect her because I know that she can take care of herself. Really, it's one of her top three attributes... don't ask me to name the other ones or which order they're in, though. It's just that, I don't think I'd be as interested in her as I am if she wasn't as strong and independent as she is. Not that I'm really putting too much thought into it, anyway." he admitted casually.</p><p>Thunder returned his look, a bit confused. "What do you mean? You sound as if you are indeed putting a lot of thought into it, and yet now you claim that you are not?"</p><p>Ryu just shrugged, starting to wonder why the heck he was even going on like this. Admittedly, Thunder was a much easier person to talk to, considering this conversation hadn't even gotten past the first sentence when he'd tried to start it with Ranma last night. Man, what had he been <em>thinking</em>?</p><p>"Well, as cute as she is, and as nice as it is to think about that kind of stuff, I really doubt anything can come of it. I mean, we both have our own paths to follow. She has a sister to take care of, I have a Dojo to rebuild, I can't imagine our paths will cross again after this fight has finally finished. I'm afraid it'll probably be the same for you. After all, you and your brother are gonna be going off to look for... whatever it is you're looking for," he explained at length.</p><p>Again, the thunder spirit nodded in agreement. "Yes, you are correct on that. I know not why, but I am certain that what we are looking for is not here," said the somber young man.</p><p>Hmm, speaking of which, "Hey, what the heck are you guys looking for, anyway?"</p><p>Suddenly, a strange feeling of foreboding settled over him, as Thunder suddenly gained a far away look in his eyes. Slowly, his companion leaned forward, his armor creaking loudly in protest, before turning to face him fully.</p><p>"We... are not certain what it is that we are looking for. Something has been stirring, though, something which is putting all of nature on edge. Because of our powers, my brother and I can feel it as well. Not clearly, or definitively, but as an undercurrent of unease which has been growing slowly for several months now," stated the young man in hushed tones.</p><p>Ryu shivered slightly, though he couldn't imagine why. "Do you have any idea what it could mean? Maybe it has something to do with all of these attacks here lately?"</p><p>Thunder seemed to contemplate this for a moment, his chin raising and lowering slowly as he thought. "We had considered that, but after facing that beast, sensing its power, we do not believe it is the same as what we seek. Whatever it is that we seek, all we know is that its very essence runs counter to the natural world, unbalancing it somehow. We know not what could possess such a malevolent power, but we know we must find it before it is too late."</p><p>Another shiver skittered down his spine, much to his annoyance. As if just talking about something could trigger such a reaction in such a powerful martial artist as himself? Grumbling slightly, he angrily quashed any concerns that he might have been feeling. Just some superstitious nonsense, nothing for him to worry about. All this weird talk was killing the mood for his comfortable relaxation. "Heh, the way you're going on..."</p><p>"You'd think you were chasing down a demon"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Her world swirled painfully around her; a chaotic mass of darkness shot through by random flashes of color. It was all she could do to hold down the contents of her stomach as the world lurched around her so suddenly after her senses returned to her. She hadn't even had the chance to open her eyes yet before the nausea of her throbbing head began to assault her. The next thing she noticed as her body began to wake up as well, was a dull, painful ache in her shoulders. Oddly, she couldn't feel her arms at all, a fact that she was fairly sure should have worried her a lot more than it was in her half-conscious state.</p><p>Groaning weakly, Akane finally opened her eyes. Sadly, the darkness didn't vanish with that simple act as she hoped it would. Rather the darkness of her mind's eye simply gave way to the darkness of an unlit room. It was about then, that she noticed something else. Though her legs were not supporting her at all, she seemed to be standing somehow... the more logical part of her mind that was currently located way in the back seemed to think it had something to do with the fact that she couldn't feel her arms. Unfortunately, the part of her mind that oversaw panicking was starting to work overtime, once again tragically muting her logic center.</p><p>With a sudden start, she launched herself forward, trying vainly to escape the terrifying confines of the blackened room. She only made it a few feet, before the pain in her shoulders suddenly blossomed into twin suns of pain. A second later, she stumbled back, pulled by some unseen tether to slam heavily into the wall behind her. Her head connected with the hard wall giving off a resounding crack and causing another swirl of colors to fill her spinning vision.</p><p>The only thing that registered, as she swung limply from side to side, was the sound of rattling chains above her head. The sudden pain of nearly splitting her skull against a concrete wall did clear up her panic rather quickly though. Letting out a small whimper, she carefully placed her feet under her and slowly stood up to her full height. Almost immediately, the fires in her shoulders diminished, dying back to the dull ache that she had felt earlier.</p><p>The absconded Tendo then took in a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself and block out the pain echoing through her skull. It wasn't like she'd never been kidnapped before, much to her eternal annoyance, but she had never been treated like this before. And worst of all, for the life of her, she couldn't remember how she had gotten into this mess either. The last thing she remembered was watching the tail end of the news report after Ranma's fight...</p><p>Something danced at the back of her mind, vague images, blurs of vision... but nothing coherent formed to explain how she had gotten to be in such a disagreeable situation. Well, she'd certainly had enough of this, so she decided to go with her fall-back response to these situations.</p><p>"<em>Hey</em>!" she yelled at the top of her very loud lungs. "What in the <em>world</em> is going on <em>here</em>?"</p><p>After all, anger was always more productive than panic.</p><p>As if in response to her angry inquiry, blinding light suddenly filled the room. She was forced to look away, vainly trying to cover her face as the harsh light dug into her darkness attenuated eyes. It took several moments of grumbling and hurried blinking before the world finally started to resolve itself back into the colors and shapes that she was used to.</p><p>And then she froze, shocked into stillness by the sight that faced her. Four eerie, vacant stares met her own, it was just creepy enough to lock up her brain for a moment. What was worse, was that as soon as her train of thought fired up again, she <em>recognized </em>who was staring at her. Though she had never met him before, Ranma's description of the battle had been incredibly detailed.</p><p>Staring back at her, were four small, metallic boys, each one with a wide, empty smile and soulless, glass eyes. One of them matched her fiancée's description perfectly, a small boy, roughly four feet tall with spiky hair and a metallic, azure sheen covering his entire body. The other three looked perfectly identical, except for being saffron, crimson and ebony, respectively.</p><p>She remained perfectly still, pinned by their unnerving stares. Ranma <em>had </em>explained the battle in detail, explained just how strong and seemingly invincible these machines were, how much trouble just one of these robots had given him. And here she was, surrounded by four of them now, and completely helpless to boot.</p><p>Several moments passed as she continued to watch them, watching her, watching them... Moments turned to minutes, but still, they did nothing. Feeling her tidal wave of panic finally begin to subside again, she finally started to take in the rest of her surroundings. As she had guessed, she was being held in what looked to be a concrete structure. However, where she had been expecting a small room, it was a massive space that surrounded her, filled with various pieces of equipment that she couldn't identify. From the silent, yet constant sound of dripping to the unusually warm air, she'd guess it was some kind of boiler room or something, not that that helped her in any way at all.</p><p>And, as she suspected, she was indeed chained to the wall.</p><p>Just as she was about to make her thoughts on her incarceration known verbally, her jailers suddenly turned away from her. As if all working with the same nervous system, the four robots turned in eerie synchronization to face the far end of the room, which was still bathed in inky blackness. Akane bit her tongue, holding in her sharp words as a strange... slithering sound filled the air. That was the only word she could think to describe the sound, at any rate, the nerve-wracking sound of something sliding wetly across the rough surface of the floor towards them.</p><p>Then, as if emerging directly from the heart of her darkest nightmares, a figure began to melt out of the darkness. It was hard to discern at first, the figure seemed to be borne from the blackness, composed of a darkness all its own which it carried with it. It seemed like a man, from a distance, though endless voids of white emptiness shone where its eyes should have been. The contrast between the infinite blackness and the unearthly white made its eyes shine madly, burning into her even from over fifty feet away.</p><p>She realized, then, what the odd slithering sound was, as the figure appeared to be wearing a long robe which pooled widely around his feet, dragging wetly behind him, as if it were soaked through. As her captor closed the distance between them, other details began to make themselves known. Strange tendrils rose from his back, ink black, paper thin and wavering as if alive. Next, she noticed how tall the man was, easily topping eight feet, somehow, though she wasn't sure how. Despite his great height, his upper body looked no larger than any normal man's, almost as if he were gliding towards her on a pair of stilts... though she'd never seen someone so encumbered move so smoothly.</p><p>It wasn't until the... man?... joined them under the harsh glare of the florescent tube above her head, that the final details were revealed to her. Whoever this person was, they appeared to be wrapped from head-to-toe in... was that paper? It looked very much like one of those mummies she'd heard about before... except this mummy had been dipped into a vat of ink, too. And, unlike the movie monsters she had watched late at night, this creature's wrappings seemed to undulate and flow, they wrapped tightly around its fingers, lengthening them unnaturally into fearsome talons, it clung tightly to his face, tearing apart to form a jagged mockery of a mouth.</p><p>Honestly, she had no idea what to think about this <em>thing </em>that had kidnapped her.</p><p>"So, finally awake, I see," the strange creature asked in a low, liquid voice.</p><p>Still not sure what to make of this man, or his rather cliché greeting, she met his empty stare flatly.</p><p>"You chained me to a wall," she stated just as flatly.</p><p>Her stomach churned as the creature smiled at her simple words, the sounds of tearing parchment ripping the air as its vile smile widened unnaturally from one side of its face to the other. "Yes, well, I must admit that I am one who appreciates the classics."</p><p>Her captor slid forward then, as if looking for a better view of his handiwork. His forward movement was halted, though, as the four little robot boys silently moved between them, blocking his advance. Akane could only stare uncertainly as the mindlessly smiling machines gazed emptily at their master. It was almost amusing, watching the towering figure stop in the face of the tiny, child-like machines. He seemed to consider them for a moment, glaring balefully, before suddenly dropping back a step and returning his full attention to her.</p><p>"After all, while tying you to a chair would have sufficed, it just lacked the <em>artistry </em>of the chains." He then gestured grandly; tiny drops of liquid flying form his talons as he indicated her person. "Surely you can appreciate the scene I am trying to set here: the lovely damsel, artfully draped across the wall, her vulnerable body quivering in fear and hopelessness," he oozed almost lovingly.</p><p>Akane looked at the madman, not comprehending what he was talking about. "The scene? What on earth are you talking about? Who the heck are you, anyway?" she asked, using her burning anger to quell her chilling fear.</p><p>Her host was taken aback for a moment, before smiling even wider and bowing politely. "A thousand apologizes, my lady. I must admit that I've been without company for some time and my manners have become somewhat atrophied." The towering figure then appeared as if he were about to move forward again, but a sidelong glance at the small robots seemed to stop him once again. She just couldn't figure them out, it was too weird.</p><p>After studying his minions for a moment, the dripping figure rose from his bow, smiling that malevolent, half-mad smile of his. "Let me introduce myself, then. My name is <em>Brushogun, </em>the Demon Lord of Ink, Destroyer of Worlds, Master of Creation, the Shogun of Sorr-, " He broke off his rant suddenly, looking away and raising a claw to his chin in thought. "No, wait, that last one has already been done."</p><p>The youngest Tendo could only stare in confusion, absolutely nothing was making any sense. She wasn't certain her captor was evil, despite his appearance and claims, but it was quite evident that he was completely insane.</p><p>"The demon lord of <em>ink</em>?" she asked incredulously. Not that any of his other titles were any better, but really, the lord of <em>ink?</em></p><p>Brushogun's smile vanished in a flash, his face descending into a terrifying grimace as he glared at her. "Do not mock my powers, foolish child. I possess the powers of the gods themselves, anything which I desire becomes reality, everything which I loathe is crushed beneath my heels," he whispered harshly.</p><p>Unconsciously, the four robots tightened their ranks, almost forming a fence between the two of them.</p><p>"Everything but Ranma, don't you mean?" she blurted out without thinking. Her eyes widened at her own baseless bravado and she would have slapped her hands over her mouth if they weren't hanging lifelessly above her head. Where on earth had that come from? This wasn't the time for her to be using her stock 'Ranma will save me, just you wait and see' dialogue.</p><p>Her captor's sneer darkened at her words and the writhing paper banners protruding from his back began to whip about like angry snakes, droplets of ink splattering the floor loudly. Brushogun's eyes narrowed dangerously as he leaned forward, easily towering over the tiny automatons.</p><p>"Oh, fear not, my dear. Your beloved fiancé, he <em>will </em>die. <em>None </em>can stand before the power of Brushogun and survive," he hissed like acid.</p><p>"You mean, asides from the five or six times that he's already beaten your lackies?" she spouted again, not sure where the belligerent words were coming from. It was obviously Ranma's fault, somehow!</p><p>This time, Brushogun did more than just lean forward.</p><p>"<em>Insolent wench!"</em></p><p>Faster than her eye could follow, his clawed hand tore through the air, aiming to cleave her skull in twain. A terrified scream tore itself free from her lips as she tried to push herself through the concrete barrier at her back. The air screamed in agony as the jagged talons sheared through it with unnatural speed. She didn't even have time to flinch away before the razor's edge of his claw filled the entirety of her vision, preparing to drill a grizzly hole to her brain!</p><p>And then it stopped... Her scream lasted another few seconds, just for good measure, before it finally died out, leaving her breathless for a moment. She dared not gasp or wheeze for air though, not with the cruelly barbed tip of Brushogun's finger hovering before her naked eye, so close that a bloated drop of midnight ink dripped onto her eyelashes before running down her cheek. Not breathing, not moving, not even blinking, she held as perfectly still as she could, helped by the paralyzing fear that gripped her at that moment.</p><p>She had never been that frightened in her life, not even when she had seen Kasumi in the clutches of the Headmaster, as much as it shamed her to even think that. To think, that he had such perfect control that he could make such a seemingly lethal attac-</p><p>It was then that she realized exactly what had happened. Like an arctic glacier, the tip of the claw moved away from her eye, tickling her eyelashes one last time. Finally, it retreated enough to allow her to see something beside the large black circle that had dominated her vision... To see the small, ebon hand wrapped tightly around Brushogun's wrist, clenched tightly enough to tear the paper skin, and nearly shaking with the effort of pulling the deadly appendage away from her face.</p><p>Brushogun stared at his minion for a moment, before suddenly howling in rage, his visage twisting into an expression truly befitting the demonic nature he claimed. Instantly, the dark Mecha-Boi exploded violently, bathing everything within fifteen feet in a wave of midnight black ink. Akane gagged violently, spitting out the vile liquid that threatened to drown her, her stomach heaving at the unwelcome invasion. Again, she blinked madly, trying to rid her eyes of the offensive ooze.</p><p>Before her, looking no different for being doused in ink, Brushogun heaved and panted like a mad dog. All along the lengths of his left arm, something undulated just beneath his paper wrappings, the entire arm pulsating and writhing as if hundreds of snakes were trying to burst free from their ink-soaked confines. Slowly, the arm rose, the talons on that hand doubling in length in seconds.</p><p>Until Brushogun slammed his right hand down on his revolting wrist, forcing the arm back to his side. The struggle lasted several terrifyingly long seconds before the limb finally ceased its stomach-churning revolution.</p><p>For just a moment, his eyes closed tightly and his breathing shallow, Brushogun looked almost... serene to her unbelieving eyes. Then, his eyes opened once more and he rose back to his full height, casually running a hand over his slicked skull, as if smoothing out his hair.</p><p>"Heh, yes, well, those were just tests, you see. I only wished to see what your precious Saotome was capable of. You must admit, he is a marvelous specimen of reckless heroism, a perfect protagonist to play across from me," he continued suddenly, speaking as if he hadn't just tried to skewer her skull mere seconds ago.</p><p>For several long seconds she could only stare at him before she finally realized that she could breathe again. Suddenly wheezing weakly, she looked up at the demon that now held her freedom in its slimy clutches. "I-is this just a <em>game </em>to you? What kind of sick monster are you? You think you can just play with peoples' lives like this?"</p><p>If the expansive planes of white that composed his eyes had held anything so human as irises, she would have imagined that he had just rolled his eyes at her. "A game? A mere <em>game</em>? Don't be silly, girl, I'm not playing a game, I am <em>writing a story</em>! A marvelous tale, a tale of good and evil, of love and hate, of life and death! The story of a proud hero and a villainous demon; with all the accouterments that really bring the tale to life. The gruff mentor, the noble companions and best of all, the damsel in distress!" he crowed in excitement.</p><p>Well... she would have stared at him as if he were mad, but she'd already come to that conclusion earlier. It was also obvious that he was murderously unstable, but somehow, the fact that it seemed that these mechanical boys were as much her saviors as her jailers emboldened her. Her own interest in the dramatic arts boiled to the surface and an idea began to form in her mind.</p><p>"But why?" she asked simply.</p><p>Brushogun, who had been waving his hands in the air and cackling madly for his part, suddenly looked down at her, confused. He leaned in closer, but not closely enough to bother the remaining Mecha-Bois.</p><p>"Why what? Why kill people, why attack your fiancée, why am I so devilishly clever?" he asked in amusement.</p><p>It was her turn to roll her eyes. "No, I mean, why write that story? You have to admit, it's been done to death, pardon the pun," she replied, unable to resist giving him an impish smile.</p><p>This time, her companion reared back, holding a hand to his chest as if wounded. "Done to death? This tale is as old as time, the hero's journey, a timeless classic!" he replied defensively.</p><p>She nodded in agreement. "Exactly, every writer and their <em>dog </em>incorporates the hero's journey into their stories these days. It's practically a writing cliché," her verbal thrust found its mark.</p><p>"<em>Cliche</em>?" Brushogun's form stretched up, his head nearly brushing the ceiling as he stared at her furiously. Furiously, but not in a murderous, demonic fashion, but in the offended, prideful way that she'd seen her literature teacher use so often when a student disrespected some 'literary masterpiece' from time to time. Slowly, he then shrunk back down, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Certainly, there are common dramatic themes running through my story, but it is impossible to create such an epic work without treading across the works of others. After all, there are only three basic plots that all stories can be broken down to: Man versus Man, Man versus Himself and Man versus Nature. It is all a matter of rearranging familiar components into a new and original twist on these three basic plots," he explained, sounding very much like he was trying to lecture her.</p><p>Her smile widened; he'd fallen into her trap it seemed. "See, that's the problem with popular culture these days. Everyone is so wound up in rehashing the idea of the monomyth, that it's just becoming a lazy excuse to avoid being creative. Besides, you forgot about Man versus God, Man versus Society, Man caught in the Middle and the Man &amp; Woman story plots. I mean, seriously, you're hardly a man now, so where exactly did you figure that your story fell in with those other three plots?"</p><p>Take <em>that, </em>Mr. Haruna, give <em>her </em>a B minus on her literary report! She chuckled quietly on the inside as she watched her opponent's eyes widen to off-white saucers. He sputtered indignantly for a moment, spraying his three minions with inky blackness. A moment later, though, he calmed down considerably. Slowly, he drew his hand up, running a long, clawed finger across the bottom of his chin. "Hmm, I <em>do </em>like the sound of the Man versus God plot..." He pointed an irate claw at her once more. "And my story will be both original <em>and </em>a classic!"</p><p>Her mobility severely limited, she resorted to once again rolling her eyes to show her disagreement. "Maybe it will, but all I'm asking is why you're bothering. After all, you're only halfway through and I can already tell you how it's going to end. The good guys are going to win," she stated confidently.</p><p>Brushogun let out a bark of humorless laughter. "Ha! This is <em>my </em>story; <em>I </em>am the one who controls this world. In my story, the hero <em>will </em>fall!" he responded forcefully.</p><p>Akane merely shrugged her painfully numb shoulders. "But then it wouldn't be a classic," she pointed out vindictively.</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" he spat angrily.</p><p>She shrugged again, smiling weakly, despite herself. "What can I say? People love a good villain, but no one <em>really </em>wants to see the bad guy win. Certainly, sometimes the good guy might die, one way or the other, but they <em>always </em>beat the villain. It's just what people want." Not that she wanted that to be true in this case. She couldn't even imagine what she would do if anything happened to her thick-skulled fiancé. Maybe, maybe if she could talk this loon down, it wouldn't come to tha-</p><p>Her worried thoughts trailed off suddenly, as she noticed the odd way that Brushogun was staring at her. It was almost like he was studying her, or even staring right through her to something she couldn't hope to see. He began to tap a ragged claw against his chin, then, tearing tiny holes which healed instantly over and over again.</p><p>"The heroes always win..." he muttered quietly to himself.</p><p>Deciding to play along, she nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, the heroes <em>always </em>win."</p><p>His contemplative gaze died away as he returned his stare to meet her own brown eyes. Slowly, a wicked smile began to stretch across his lips. Then, suddenly, he turned away, sliding noisily towards a nearby exit. Just as he reached the door though, he turned back to look at her, his eyes staring at her over his broad shoulder.</p><p>"We shall see about that, my dear..."</p><p>"We shall see."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma stared up at the imposing towers that hung above all of them. Looming silently, they cast the entire area into shadow, deepening the darkness that the setting of the sun was already providing. The Government buildings were in every way identical to they way they had looked so long ago, when he had battled Saico-Tek beneath them. However, this time they seemed to possess an ominous aura about them, as if trying to envelope them in darkness, rather than simply shading them from the sun. In fact, everything around them seemed to invoke a sense of dread in the normally upbeat young man. He could see that his companions were shifting about nervously, probably feeling the same thing.</p><p>The week had passed slowly, each minute a lesson in torture which he was forced to endure to get to this moment. Not even his tireless training made the time hasten its march, just made the tedious pace all the more acute. He was certain that the only thing that had kept him sane while he waited for this day were his nightly conversations with Raven. If it weren't for her calming and deliberate words, he probably would have ended up tearing up the city in a mad search that would have killed the very person he was trying to save.</p><p>And, so there they were, Ryu, Natsume, Kurumi, Thunder and Lightning, all gathered quietly in the shadow of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building. Gods, that just didn't sound like a very epic place to have a duel to the death. Couldn't Brushogun have chosen some abandoned temple or distant mountain for this? At least that way they wouldn't have to worry about bystanders.</p><p>The sound of a car slowly rolling up caught his attention. Turning quickly, he watched as a familiar police vehicle pulled up beside him. A moment later, the familiar form of Lieutenant Uehara Daizo stepped out of the vehicle. The police officer wasn't dressed in his usual uniform, but rather in a long, beige trench coat with a matching fedora. It really gave him a different vibe, that was for sure. The old man nodded to him, before thumping his fist on the hood of the car. Without hesitation, the car began to roll away, before vanishing down another street.</p><p>"In for a penny, in for a pound, eh, Saotome?" barked the older man humorlessly.</p><p>"You don't have to be here, ya know? He just challenged me and my team to this duel," Ranma responded quietly.</p><p>Daizo chuckled quietly, before suddenly lashing out and smacking him upside the head! While he sputtered angrily (since hitting the old man back just wasn't allowed) the Lieutenant grumbled loudly. "What, did you lose some brain cells over the week? We've already been over this: vigilantism isn't allowed in Japan. You guys might all be working together, but you <em>all</em> work for me, remember?"</p><p>Ryu laughed in amusement as Ranma rubbed the back of his skull, not that it had hurt or anything, but it was the principle of the thing.</p><p>"Besides," the police officer continued, "I saw this whole mess start up, I'll be damned if I'm not gonna see it through to the end after all the hell I've been through."</p><p>The pigtailed boy could only nod. The two of them had fought all this way together, it'd be disappointing if the gruff old policeman weren’t here for the end as well. Uehara returned his nod, then pulled out his trusty (though completely ineffectual) revolver and his high yield energy cannon.</p><p>Ryu wandered up to join them, then, patting the Lieutenant's shoulder in a companionable manner. They bandanna clad youth the turned to scan their surroundings, an impatient look on his face. "Speaking of which, where the heck is this <em>Brushogun </em>guy, anyway? Didn't he say sunset, or something like that?"</p><p>"I wonder how many monsters he'll have with him," muttered Kurumi, sounding slightly worried. Not that Ranma could blame her. He knew of at least four of the guy's minions that he had managed to chase off before, but not defeat outright.</p><p>The Yamasen-ken master just scoffed loudly. "Feh, like that matters. Just as long as everyone remembers that the Cat girl is <em>mine</em>," he stated forcefully. Again, Ranma smiled, he couldn't even begin to express how glad he was to have someone else to deal with <em>that </em>villain. Of course... he was also slightly depressed, after all, he <em>had </em>thought up a defense to use against her and now he'd never get the chance to use it. Ah well, hardly like it mattered now.</p><p>"The only thing that matters is getting Akane back. I don't care what the rest of you do, but the first chance that I get, that's where I'm goin, got it?" he ordered everyone. Rather than argue, everyone just nodded, sympathetic and serious expressions on everyone's faces.</p><p>Suddenly, Natsume strode forward, unholstering her rug beater and pointing it fiercely down the street. "The time for discussion is over, our enemy arrives," she said quietly.</p><p>Everyone turned to look where the long-haired girl was pointing. It turned out to be an alleyway several buildings down. A figure almost seemed to melt out of the darkness, pulling and stretching until finally it freed itself from the hovering blackness of the alley. Whoever, or whatever it was, was as pitch black as the alley had been, not to mention inhumanely tall. Not monstrously tall, but still, tall enough to be pretty darn imposing.</p><p>The figure almost seemed to glide towards them, no feet visible beneath its ebony robes. Oddly, for a moment it almost made him think of how Mousse had looked when they had rescued him from the Academy so long ago. The creature stopped around fifty feet away from them, half obscured by the shadows that bathed the entire street. Ranma couldn't get a good look at their foe, but, then fifty feet was an incredibly short distance to cover. If things turned sour, they could all cover that distance in a heartbeat.</p><p>Behind him, Ryu let out a dissatisfied grunt. "The moron is alone. Where the hell is that feline freak of his?"</p><p>Everyone ignored the irate youth, as the figure in the distance dipped into a low bow. Then, the creature began to speak, its voice carrying across the distance and over the winds far too clearly to be natural.</p><p>"Greetings, my dear, dear friends. I am so glad that you all came, I've been looking forward to this day for quite sometime," the figure then straightened from his bow. "Before I forget again, I am Brushogun, and I shall be your villain this wondrous night," he declared happily.</p><p>The Saotome Heir growled loudly, completely unimpressed by his enemy's theatrics. "Cut the <em>bullshit</em>! Where the hell is Akane, you <em>bastard</em>!"</p><p>In the distance, Brushogun nodded, almost as if he had forgotten that tiny detail. He then spread out his arm in a grand gesture, more damned theatrics. "Of <em>course</em>, how could I forget? A deal is a deal, after all."</p><p>With that, the towering man suddenly brought his arm back in with terrible force. Ranma nearly screamed in shock at what he saw next. Rather than bounce off his chest, Brushogun's clawed hand tore through his own flesh, digging angrily into his abdomen. Then, with a mighty heave and the sound of a hundred books being torn apart, the – the <em>demon</em> pulled his arm back out, dragging a choking and wheezing shape with it.</p><p>Without even a trace of concern for the mortal wound he had inflicted on himself, or the formless blob he had just liberated from it, he dropped it to the ground like one would drop a sack of potatoes. Almost instantly, the massive hole in Brushogun's abdomen began to close, not in the instant and flashy manner of his minions, but in a much more disturbing and graphic manner.</p><p>As amazing as the feat was, judging by his companions' gasps of shocks and cries of horror, Ranma didn't pay it even a shred of notice. The entirety of his world was currently focused on that formless blob on the pavement, coughing up a lungful of black ichor. Slowly, as the liquid flowed off the figure, the familiar curves and features of his missing fiancée began to make themselves known.</p><p>S-she was alive! He thanked the gods for that.</p><p>However, his joy was short lived as his vision began to turn red from rage. That <em>bastard</em> had nearly drowned her just so he could make a dramatic revelation! He swore, right then and there, he was going to <em>kill</em>that bastard, right now!</p><p>Before he could leap forward, though, Brushogun suddenly raised his hands.</p><p>"There! Your betrothed is alive, just as I promised you. Of course, her life will end shortly after yours, but still, I have kept my word. Now, I <em>did </em>have a grand speech prepared, however," he offered the girl at his feet a harsh glare, "Due to <em>someone </em>being so critical, I've decided to forgo it. So, I believe I shall just be forced to kill you all now, if you don't mind terribly."</p><p>To his side, Daizo stepped forward, a confident smirk on his weathered face. "Ha! Kill us? You and what army?"</p><p>Instantly, a smile so wide that it threatened to tear the demon's head in half appeared on Brushogun's face. Letting out a loud gout of mad laughter, the demon reached up and wiped a black tear from its eye. "Oh, you can't even imagine how glad I am that you said that," cheered the ebony demon.</p><p><em>Everyone </em>turned to glare at the Lieutenant, attempting to melt the policeman into a puddle with the heat of their gazes alone. Rather than flinch, Uehara just chuckled, "Heh, come on, <em>someone</em> had to say it."</p><p>Ranma was tempted to kick the old man into the stratosphere but didn't get the chance as Brushogun interrupted them once again.</p><p>"I'm so happy that at least one of you knows the lines for this scene." said the joyful Brushogun. "Now, allow me to introduce you to your executioners for the night. I must say, I spent a lot of time personally choosing the most iconic figures from all my favorite genres. I'm sure you'll be quite happy with my selection."</p><p>With that, the four wavering banners that danced in the air behind Brushogun suddenly sprang to life. Each one lanced out, drawing long streaks of color across the pavement before their master. The streaks of color began to bubble, rising and beginning to form and resolve themselves into humanoid shapes.</p><p>The first figure, at the far left of the street, began to take form the most quickly. What began as a dark, reddish blob, quickly shaped itself into the form of a young man, probably a year or two younger than Ranma himself. The boy seemed rather unremarkable really. The boy's black hair was swept back into an angry nest of spikes behind his head, revealing a huge forehead above his eyes. Other than that, he wore a simple, sleeveless white T-shirt and a black pair of pants. About the only thing that struck Ranma as odd, was the large piece of red fabric that was draped across the boy's shoulders, covering his right arm like a long cape.</p><p>There was something oddly familiar about the boy, but he didn't have time to think about it, since the second blob was beginning to resolve itself.</p><p>This second figure, a dark purple in color, took the shape of a young girl, perhaps even younger than the boy beside her. The master martial artist felt his heart start to drop into his stomach, though, as the girl's outfit began to take shape. A pair of tall, purple boots hugged her legs all the way up to her knees. Above that, a wide, frilly skirt of the same color flared out, barely providing even a modicum of modesty. Ranma's common sense began telling him to start running, as a black bow, surrounding an elaborate crystal formed on the girl's chest. Finally, as the purplish ooze began to spread down her arms, forming a pair of overly long white gloves, it shot out rapidly from her left hand in both directions, forming a large, unwieldy looking glaive which she spun once before slamming the butt of the weapon heavily into the pavement.</p><p>Before he could properly begin to panic over the girl's appearance though, the third tower of liquid began to rise quickly, this one a much lighter purple color.</p><p>Except, this one didn't stop rising! It continued to rise, and spread out and rise some more... It didn't stop growing until it reached a staggering twelve stories in height, taking up most of the street with its massive feet. Unfortunately, its height was by far the least imposing thing about it, as its form quickly resolved into a terrifyingly familiar figure. The tall, emaciated shape of the giant purple robot was as unmistakable as the long, lone horn that jutted out from the center of its armored head. Slashes of green, black and a large pair of pauldrons covering its shoulders just drove the point home with grim finality.</p><p>All around him, he could feel his companions' auras spike and swirl chaotically as they all shared his blooming panic. Ranma didn't even want to look at the fourth blotch, this one a very distinctive orange color, as it began to rise and take shape.</p><p>The final figure was a heavily muscled man, the only adult in the group. His long, black hair was styled into hanging spikes large enough to put the first boy's to shame. Draped across his body, was an orange martial arts gi, a white circle over his heart signifying the school he trained in. Wrapped around each of the man's wrists was a dark blue bracer, each matching the color of the undershirt he wore under his gi.</p><p>Turning to face his friends with sluggish movements, Ranma took in their shocked, and surprised faces. Sadly, he was fairly sure that they were all looking at the forty-meter giant, thinking that was the biggest threat. None of them knew the true depths of the hell they were about to be thrust into.</p><p>"Guys," he began hoarsely.</p><p>"We are <em>completely</em>fu-"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun watched on in awe as his four avatars rose before him. Basking in abject joy, the Demon Lord of Ink leaned his head back, closing his eyes serenely. It wasn't darkness that greeted him, though, but rather a mosaic of sights. With his eyes closed, he looked down upon both himself and his opponents through a hundred different eyes; flitting, hovering minions lovingly crafted to let him watch every single aspect of the spectacle to come.</p><p>Of course, his many flying spies saw many inconsequential things as well. Literally hundreds of police officers swarmed nearly every adjacent rooftop for several blocks. Each one armed with the most advanced and most expensive equipment that the Japanese government could get its grubby little hands on. Further out, at about a kilometer from his chosen stage, military vehicles were gathering. The poor fools thought they could stop him if their champions failed. Their foolish pride made him want to laugh...</p><p>So, he did.</p><p>But least trivial of all, were the news helicopters. Dozens of the hovering vehicles circled the area, packed nearly close enough for the pilots to exchange bottles of sake, but high enough to stay out of harms way. His smile widened, there were news companies represented from one end of the country to the other, not just Tokyo's own stations.</p><p>He had made very certain of that. He had spent several hours last night, contacting, and tipping off every news crew in the country. Unfortunately, it meant that the authorities had had more than ample time to evacuate this entire section of the city. Thus, the innocent victims would be limited to those stubborn few that viewed their homes as their castles, or overly sentimental fools that refused to leave their precious pets behind.</p><p>After all, if he had just wanted to kill Saotome and his cronies, he could have done it without any effort. Killing them in their sleeps, poisoning their water, or any hundred other pathetic, unworthy, and most importantly, anticlimactic methods that a common assassin might consider.</p><p>No, that just wouldn't do. He wasn't just here to kill Saotome; he was here to <em>crush</em>him. He would destroy him so utterly and with such casual contempt, that every single member of his worldwide audience would be left quivering in stunned silence. After tonight, after watching a group of their bravest and finest being cut down by the most iconic powers of popular culture, all of Japan would bow before his power.</p><p>After that, the world would soon join them.</p><p>With great reluctance, Brushogun pulled himself back, back down from the clouds, down from his omniscient view of the city. For just a moment, he felt incredibly small, as if he were three pounds of meat being packed into a one-pound bag. The world pressed in around him, the blackness crushing down on him. Quickly, he opened his eyes, wavering slightly as he readjusted to seeing through his own eyes once more. It was an odd sensation, seeing the world through a hundred eyes, but it was a sensation he was eager to embrace. After all, what kind of god was ever so limited to only seeing through two slippery orbs of meat?</p><p>Another moment passed before he was finally able to see straight once more, just in time to see the last of his <em>Chosen</em> take shape before him. Looking past them, past the enormous bulk of the neon mecha that he had summoned with his power, he gazed upon his enemies. Eagerly, he drank in the looks of fear and shock on their faces, especially on the face of his true, pigtailed rival. Obviously, Saotome was well versed enough to recognize most, if not all his minions for what they truly were.</p><p>With a twitch of his finger, Brushogun willed the giant robot to take a single step forward.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-cked," finished Saotome weakly. It was easily the harshest curse that Daizo had heard out of the kid yet.</p><p>Not that anyone present was going to disagree with that statement.</p><p>Daizo had no idea who the fruity looking kung fu guy, the cape wearing brat, or the publicly indecent girl were... But who the hell cared about them when they had a twelve-freaking story <em>giant robot </em>to deal with?</p><p>Some days it just didn't pay to put on the badge.</p><p>Uehara, along with everyone else, watched the four figures uncertainly. Who the heck were these people? Where on earth had their opponent summoned them from? How was a girl in a skirt <em>that </em>short supposed to fight <em>anybody</em>? Even more disturbing to the veteran police officer, though...</p><p>Saotome Ranma was easily the most horrifyingly powerful martial artist he had ever met. (The others didn't really count, after all, they'd come after and <em>nothing ever</em> compared to your first time.) The stormy eyed youth performed feats of speed, strength and skill that were simply beyond description. Now, Daizo was by no means a Christian, but one analogy had become trapped in his mind after meeting this exceptional youth. To him, watching Ranma in battle had been akin to watching an angel descended from Heaven...</p><p>So, if Saotome was an angel... why was he looking at that gi wearing guy like he was <em>God</em>?</p><p>His rather unnerving ruminations would go unanswered, as the giant robot chose that moment to take a momentous step forward. The immense armor-plated mass that was its foot crashed into the ground about twenty feet in front of their small group. The ground quaked under his feet as its indestructible heel crushed into the pavement, utterly ruining a section of street large enough to drive a sedan into.</p><p>Well, that pretty much did it for him. There was <em>no </em>way he was getting stepped on when he wasn't just a single day from retirement! Ranma seemed to have other ideas, taking a panicked step forward, before spinning wildly back to face them all.</p><p>"Damn! It's time for the Saotome School's Ultimate Technique-" His cry was cut off, though, as Ryu roughly pushed him aside with a heavily muscled arm.</p><p>"We don't have time for any stupid techniques! <em>Everyone run away</em>!" he barked loudly. Without even a second's hesitation, Natsume, Kurumi, Thunder and Lightning all nodded quickly and burst into action. Each pair of siblings took off in a flash, back in the direction of the massive twin towers behind them, already splitting up. A second later, Ryu took off as well, though cutting down a side street much sooner than either of the two teams.</p><p>For just a moment, Ranma stood there, a look of such incredulous shock on his face that, in any other situation, Daizo would have laughed his butt off at the pigtailed kid. Of course, given the situation, he just turned tail and ran like hell to the nearest building. A second later, Ranma burst into motion, just managing to leap forward before a neon-purple boot big enough to move into crushed him flat. Then the Saotome boy was tearing off down the road at nearly three-quarters of the speed that he'd ran away from that Cat girl.</p><p>Not being near as inhumanly fast as his companions, the aging police officer just found the nearest doorway and ducked inside quickly. As soon as he was out of sight of that Brushogun character, he turned back and peeked around the corner. The ground shuddered loudly as the robot took another monumental step forward.</p><p>Behind the robot, Brushogun and his three other minions stood, watching the fleeing warriors in perfect stillness. Then, the ringleader dramatically raised one of his overly long, clawed hands into the air... then dropped it rapidly on an angle, as if cutting the very air itself. The effect was instantaneous.</p><p>Suddenly, against all the laws of momentum and inertia, the sky-scraping robot suddenly crouched down and <em>exploded </em>forward into a full <em>sprint</em>! It was all he could do to grab the nearby door handles to stop himself from getting sucked out of the shallow alcove he was hiding in by the massive vacuum left in the machine's wake. He'd never seen anything so large move so <em>fast</em> in his <em>life</em>!</p><p>At the same time, the three figures still at Brushogun's side also burst into motion. The sailor suited girl with the oversized can opener suddenly leapt up to one of the nearby rooftops, one of the <em>fifteen story </em>rooftops, and nearly vanished into a roof hopping blur in chase of the rapidly receding fighters.</p><p>The spiky haired boy with the blood red cape sprang forward, nearly gliding with unnatural grace. His first stride easily carried him fifty feet in the blink of an eye before his feet even touched the ground. After that, his speed only increased. Daizo could only shake his head, as unbelievably fast as his friends had been moving, his enemies were moving <em>even faster</em>. Heck, as for the orange gi wearing guy...</p><p>Hell, he just vanished!</p><p>As Brushogun's mad laughter filled the air, the Lieutenant slowly let out a silent breath of relief. Just like he'd figured, all the bad guys had chased after the <em>actual </em>threats, his young boys, and girls. He peeked around the corner again, seeing the lone figure of Brushogun, his head thrown back in evil delight. Looked like old Brushy had forgotten all about him already. That meant he had one good shot to do something... He looked down to the, suddenly woefully undersized laser cannon in his hand...</p><p>If only he had <em>any </em>idea what to do with that shot...</p><p>A slight shift of motion caught his attention, coming from low to the ground, right to his villainous opponent's side... The ebony figure was almost indistinguishable from the madly chortling demon, but he recognized it for what it was soon enough.</p><p>Hmmm... maybe there <em>was </em>something he could do...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu skidded wildly before taking another sharp right turn. He was sure that if he kept up his speed, that he'd be able to circle around and attack Brushogun from the back before any pursuers could catch him. Not that he was overly worried about being caught, asides from the giant robot, anyway, none of the others had looked that impressive at all. However, he had no idea how powerful that Brushogun was, so a surprise attack was the most prudent course of action.</p><p>In a matter of seconds, another city block flew by in a drab flash of grays and blacks. Another block and one more right turn, and he should be back on the street that he'd started on. Then, though it wasn't really his specialty, he could sneak up on Brushogun from the back and demolish him before he even realized what was happe-</p><p>A streak of red slashed through the dull hues of the twilight lit street. He might as well have been standing still as the slash of color moved up from behind, only to fly past him at dizzying speeds. It tore through the air, until it stopped abruptly a half a block ahead of him. As soon as it stopped its insanely fast movement, the red blur resolved itself into the young, cape wearing boy.</p><p>Ryu smiled, widely and malevolently. It appeared that he'd gotten lucky. Of all Brushogun's lackeys to have to fight, the spiky haired kid before him was easily his first choice. The gi wearing guy looked like he might have known a few moves and been bit of a headache; fighting the girl would have been plumbing the depths of humiliation. He didn't even want to think about the giant robot...</p><p>The young man glared back at him, a scowl on his face and a deep growl on his lips.</p><p>Ryu just smiled wider.</p><p>This would be over fast.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Well, that fight is gonna be over fast," chortled her diminutive genius with sadistic glee. "I don't know who the heck that scuzz-munching loser is, but he's so freakin dead it ain't even funny! No... wait... actually it <em>is</em>pretty funny!"</p><p>Nabiki rolled her big brown eyes, even as she watched the various news feeds herself. There were at least a dozen news firms covering this epic battle, which meant there were more than enough cameras present to provide her with a full picture of the unfolding battle.</p><p>"I don't know, Gizmo, Ryu there isn't exactly a slouch when it comes to fighting. He's one of the more powerful martial artists to come knocking on Ranma's door. I think he might surprise you," she replied smoothly. Not that she really believed it, but maybe she could sucker some of her boys into a little side action... betting wise.</p><p>Gizmo scoffed as loudly as she had ever heard him scoff... which was quite an accomplishment; he liked to scoff at things a lot, she'd found. The extremely young man turned to face her, a skeptical look on his face.</p><p>"Heh, I don't care if he can shoot atomic powered snot-blasts, there's <em>no</em> way he's winnin' this. He's up against freakin' <em>Tetsuo</em>... <strong><em>Tetsuo</em></strong>, boss!"</p><p>Hmm, so much for laying down any rigged odds now. One of her fine eyebrows arched in curiosity. "You've seen Akira?" she asked.</p><p>It was Gizmo's turn to roll his eyes. "Please, it's a movie about a dystopian future where science goes mad, <em>of course </em>I've seen Akira!"</p><p>Mammoth grunted loudly, breaking his way into the conversation. "Hey, ain't that that movie yer always tryin' to get me to watch? That Japanimation stuff?" queried their mammoth teammate.</p><p>Nabiki shot the boy a simmering glare. "We prefer the term, <em>anime</em>, thank you." She smirked happily as the five-hundred-pound slab of meat that could squeeze her insides out like a tube of toothpaste cringed at her words, then she turned back to face Gizmo. "And you're right, Ryu is a dead man."</p><p>It was about then, that the dishy brunette shook her head, still not believing the scene unfolding before her. What on Earth had Ranma gotten her family involved in? When he had made it obvious that he'd wanted to get into the hero business, she'd never imagined that he'd manage to find enemies even <em>more </em>bizarre than the ones he <em>normally </em>drew in. What was next, bird people from the dark heart of China?</p><p>Still, this latest battle did present her with a unique problem. Gently using her thumb and forefinger to massage the bridge of her nose, she watched her future brother-in-law and his companions dance around the monitors. "Honestly," she muttered darkly, "I <em>know</em>, I just <em>know </em>that I should make Ranma's life hell for getting my sister involved with this kind of insanity... but I honestly <em>can not </em>think of what I could possibly do that could be worse than being attacked by some magically powered Super Otaku..."</p><p>A red masked head ducked in the doorway, staring through goggled eyes to look at the many monitors. "Hey y'all, what're y'all watchin' in here? Do ya reckon that I can watch too?" asked the heavily accented Billy Numerous.</p><p>Nabiki looked down to her empty hand, then to the red clad boy filling up her doorway. "Of course you can, Billy..." She smiled sweetly... for about three seconds.</p><p>"As soon as you get me my coffee."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Lightning soared over the many buildings, purposefully slowing his pace to allow his tragically slow brother to keep up with him. The occasions that his brother's slow and deliberate nature annoyed the electrically charged youth were few and far between (really, being limited to the speed of <em>sound</em>?) thankfully, this was not one of those times. After all, they <em>wanted</em> to be followed this time; if he moved as quickly as was his birthright allowed, then none of his opponent's would have been able to catch him.</p><p>As always, he relished the sound of the air ionizing in his wake, the sharp crackle of his energy, as he flew effortlessly through the air. The dull rumble of his brother's passage followed dutifully in his wake, just as nature had always intended. Ah, yes, life was good.</p><p>"Brother, which of the monster's followers do you believe we will engage in battle?" the rough baritone of Thunder's voice rolled over his ears like a peal of his namesake. Lightning took a moment to think about that. Really, the answer was obvious.</p><p>"I most certainly hope it is the metal behemoth! Surely only that great beast is a worthy challenge to our boundless power. Let our companions, with their meager skills, deal with those other, lesser, creatures," he stated proudly. As skilled as Saotome and Kumon were, their raw power paled in comparison to his own. He could hardly hold it against them, they were mere humans, after all, not Avatars of Nature itself! And truly, what opponent would require more raw power to destroy then the skeletal giant of steel?</p><p>A thoughtful expression settled upon his brother's face, a most common occurrence since their ill-fated battle with those Titans. "I have been thinking about that, my brother. Does it make sense for our enemy to summon four different entities, only to have one be so obviously greater in power than the rest? Perhaps, in the eyes of that demon, all four are equally dangerous..."</p><p>Hmm, a rather sound piece of deductive inference, that. It certainly hadn't been the giant beast that their comrade, Saotome, had been staring at with such dread. Of course, all that accomplished was piquing his interest even further. It seemed that the potential for fun was quite high this night indeed!</p><p>"Well, there is only one way to see, my brother," he replied excitedly, "I believe we have traveled far enough, let us see who possessed the audacity to pursue <strong>Thunder </strong>and <em>Lightning</em>!" Matching deed to word, Lightning careened madly to the streets below, crashing down to the street in a bolt of his namesake.</p><p>He realized, dimly, that due to their monumental speed, they had already left the evacuated area of the city. Indeed, they were now a mere stone's throw from the great bay this city encompassed. That, at least, was a mixed blessing. He was certain his comrades would be quite unhappy if they were to bring a battle down into an inhabited section of the city. At least this way they were in the relatively empty port section of the city, most of the sea workers having already turned in for the day. There would undoubtedly be some stragglers, working through the night, but he knew how to clear them out.</p><p>Still waiting for his brother to catch up, Lightning raised his hands into the air. Energy began to dance and spark between his outstretched fingers, he marveled at the sight for a moment. A second later, Thunder landed at his side, a peal of thunder crashing down with him. A good start, that. As soon as his larger brother landed, Lightning unleashed his gathered power back into the heavens.</p><p>A hundred lances of light exploded from his fingers, dancing wildly, intertwining and intersecting as they spread out into a massive cone before vanishing into the night's sky. For just a second, the entire city was lit by his power and every light within a hundred meters exploded into brilliantly glowing sparks.</p><p>He smiled, it <em>was</em> an impressive display, though diffusing his power over such a vast area would have rendered it mostly harmless against any enemy he might have faced. Not so for the feeble machines that surrounded him, though. He had always found that technology was a fickle and flighty thing, dependant upon his power to survive, yet given too much, it dies instead...</p><p>Well, if that didn't cause any lingering workers to flee in terror, then he doubted the gods themselves could move them.</p><p>Sadly, now they would be forced to wait... Oh, how he hated to wait! It went against his very nature, to strike in a flash, without warning, and never in the same place twice. At least... at least it would allow the people smart enough to flee the time to do so...</p><p>It was still unbearable!</p><p>A flash of movement from a nearby rooftop caught their attention! Lightning's discontented frown bloomed fully into a beaming smile. It appeared that their opponent was not so terribly slow after all!</p><p>The blur of motion touched down on the ledge of a nearby building, before launching itself skyward once more. After hanging in the air for a surprising amount of time (for those unable to fly, at any rate) the figure alighted on the pavement before them with the gentle ease of the ocean mist -</p><p>A second later, the haft of her mighty weapon crashed calamitously to the ground, shattering the pavement as if it were fragile glass. With a deep, grinding groan, the sailor suit wearing girl dragged her long, wicked glaive from the crater it had formed at her side, hefting the massive polearm with unnatural ease. The light of the newly rising moon reflected brightly along the sharpened length of her weapon, along the gentle curves of her tiara and over the massive jewel set in the center of her chest. All together, it produced a most striking image.</p><p>Lightning turned slowly to face his brother, his wide smile reverting slowly back into the frown it was borne from.</p><p>"Why must we always fight the pretty ones?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Bumblebee dragged her companion through the halls of their very nearly complete tower with gleeful abandon. The smile that adorned her full, perfect lips was in due, partly, to the fact that they had a very nearly complete tower through which to drag each other. In the span of only a little over a month, with the help of a certain cyborg's tech, and a certain samurai's funding, their ragtag little team had gone from homeless to lavish!</p><p>Of course, most of the credit for her winning smile had to be given to said companion that she was currently dragging through the hallway. As much fun as it was towing the chisel featured young man around, a small part of her was taking a rather childish joy in the simple act of holding his strong (relatively speaking anyway) hand.</p><p>"Please, Karen, I beseech you! For what reason are you displacing my noble personage in such an undignified manner?" asked the samurai with the perfectly tousled hair. Sure, he was putting up a big fuss about being dragged around, but she could see the smile he was struggling so vainly to contain. She giggled to herself, not that it mattered, since even if he didn't want to be dragged around, she was more than strong enough to just toss him over her shoulder and carry him off.</p><p>Hmm, the idea tickled her funny bone nicely. The sword toting boy had to be the most socially outdated guy she had ever met. She bet that being tossed over the shoulder of a strong, modern woman would probably blow his mind completely!</p><p>"No, no, no," she teased lightly, "No spoilers, Tatie! Trust me, though, I swear you're gonna love it!" She knew he would, too! She had had to custom order it, but Cyborg had been more than happy to help a sister out. Heck, she bet the big bag of bolts had as much fun putting the order together as Kunou would have when he finally saw what she got for him.</p><p>Kunou rolled his eyes mightily, still bravely maintaining his put-upon expression. This, of course, only made her smile wider as she continued to pull him along by his han-</p><p>A piercing squeal, sharper and louder than a wild beast being skewered suddenly assaulted them as they passed by the door to the main room!</p><p>She looked to Kunou, in shock, and he matched her surprised look. As one, they both turned to look at the door, then turned back to lock gazes again. As one, they reached the same conclusion.</p><p>"Ukyou!"</p><p>"The Chef!"</p><p>...Okay, not exactly the same conclusion... One of these days she was going to <em>have </em>to explain to her teammate that Ukyou was <em>not,</em> in fact, just the hired help.</p><p>A second later, they burst into the massive room that served as their operation center... only to see a sight even more disturbing than Bumblebee had imagined.</p><p>Ukyou was indeed in the room... jumping up and down hysterically while swinging her spatula back and forth fast enough that the winged girl wondered why she wasn't airborne.</p><p>"Oh my god oh my god oh my god! It's <em>Sailor Saturn</em>!" gushed the hyperactive okonomiyaki chef.</p><p>Bumblebee and Kunou both stopped, struck speechless by the display of fangirl glee gone mad. On the massive screen behind the bouncing girl, an aerial shot of what looked like some kind of port was displayed. In the center of the shot were three figures, one yellow and orange, one blue and black and the final one white and purple. What in the world was Ukyou watching?</p><p>"Sailor <em>who</em>?" she asked incredulously.</p><p>Her male companion dropped a hand on her shoulder. "A female champion of love and justice known well in Japan... Of course, it is also quite well known that she is but a fictional character, drawn from the pages of a famous manga. What she is doing battling in our tenuous world of reality, I know not."</p><p>She took a moment to sort through the jumble of words that was commonly interpreted as "Kunou speaking" and drew out what she figured his actual statement was.</p><p>"Wait a second! You're saying that some <em>comic book character </em>is fighting it out in the street with a couple of...," she muttered disbelievingly, only to stop in shock as recognition hit her like a ton of bricks.</p><p>"Hey! I know those two guys! They were in our files on the Titans. The little guy is Lightning, and the big blue guy is Thunder!" she explained quickly. What in the world was going on there? Sure, they weren't anyone that she'd ever met, but she sure as heck knew they were <em>real</em>, so why were they fighting a fictional character?</p><p>"...the blue one... is named... Thunder?" at her side, Kunou was mumbling to himself.</p><p>No time to figure out what his problem was. Taking a decisive step forward, she grabbed the remote from Ukyou. "Hey, what the heck is going on here, Baker Brain?" she asked harshly.</p><p>Finally, her female teammate calmed down... somewhat. "Hell, I have no idea, BB, I was just channel surfing when I hit this. I figure it's some kind of Cosplay thing going on back home. Whoever that girl is, her costume is <em>awesome</em>. Don't know about those guys, though, probably homemade costumes, I bet," she replied excitedly.</p><p>Bumblebee rolled her eyes. "Ukyou, this isn't some fan service thing! Those two guys are <em>real</em>, as in <em>fought the Titans</em> real!"</p><p>Ukyou seemed to consider this for a moment, tapping a graceful finger against her narrow chin. She then turned to face her once more, a perfectly serious expression on her face. "Wow... that's so cool! Man, I almost feel bad for those bad guys, then. <em>No one </em>can beat Sailor Saturn," stated the girl, her words sounding just a little bit too happy for Bumblebee's comfort.</p><p>Bumblebee just stared at the girl... not quite feeling up to explaining the whole turning over of the leaf that had occurred. She doubted the giddy chef would even believe that her idol was the bad guy here... apparently... Why the heck did Ukyou worship this <em>Sailor Saturn</em> anyway? She just looked like some tarted up girl in a skirt that wouldn't even make a decent bracelet. Wait a moment...</p><p>Slowly, Bumblebee's eyes slid from the gleaming Glaive on the screen, to the gleaming Spatula that Ukyou held clutched to her chest. Slowly, her eyes slid back from Ukyou's polearm back to the sailor's polearm... Ah, sooooo...</p><p>Suddenly, Kunou burst back into the conversation, sputtering angrily, "Unacceptable! I must return to Japan at <em>once</em>! This outrage cannot go unanswered, honor demands it!" proclaimed her potential man in a most cryptic manner. "I will find this <em>blue </em>Thunder and defeat him myself!"</p><p>"<em>There can be only one</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kurumi was nearly in tears as she frantically tried to keep stride with her older, longer legged sister. She hated being so frightened, so childish, especially when her sister was being so brave and strong... but, really...</p><p>
  <em>They were being chased by a giant robot!</em>
</p><p>Why, oh why, did it have to be the giant robot? Why couldn't it have been the little girl? That wouldn't have been scary at all, she didn't have any trouble fighting other girls. Or that spiky haired boy with the cape, he'd been a tiny bit cute... in an angry, icky boy kinda way. Either of those two would have been good. Better than good, great even!</p><p>She could barely even keep her own footing, as the staccato beat of their impossibly fast pursuer set the entire world to shaking madly. The only thing she could do was chase Natsume, keeping her eyes glued on her sister's back, just so she wouldn't get disoriented and turned around. She didn't even dare to look back at the neon purple monstrosity that chased them.</p><p>Suddenly, her sister reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her ahead just a bit. Kurumi double stepped quickly to avoid falling flat on her face and dragging her sister down with her at the move. She looked up into her sister's face, a questioning look on her own.</p><p>"Follow me, Kurumi!" shouted her older sister, just to be heard over the machine gun crashes bearing down on them. Natsume then turned her attention back ahead of them, to the massive twin towers of the government building that loomed before them. "I have an idea!"</p><p>"We just need to get to those towers!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Holy one-sided battle royales, Robin!" cried the emerald changeling. He ignored the glare that said bird boy leveled in his direction. "Those two hot chicks from before are gonna get totally stepped on by that Evanjellydonut!"</p><p>For some reason, everyone surrounding the Titan shape shifter groaned loudly and rolled their eyes.</p><p>Turning back to the dozen or so screens the main view screen was currently divided into, each one showing a mismatched battle to end all mismatched battles. The giant robot/hot girl fight still stood out the keenest to the green skinned changeling. Well, not that he could exactly call it a fight yet, considering the two girls were still running like heck. Hmm, all things considered, it's probably what he woulda been doing in their situation too. Really, what the heck did you do to hurt a freaking giant robot?</p><p>"They're called Evangelions, Beast Boy," Robin corrected him, sounding a little ticked off.</p><p>"And Robin would know!" Cyborg stated cheerfully, slapping a hand on the masked boy's shoulder. "I mean, what with him and Starfire dressin up as EVA pilots last Halloween! Man, you remember that, BB?"</p><p>Beast Boy howled hysterically as Robin's face suddenly glowed to match his shirt! Unfortunately, their fun was cut short by a dry, if somewhat irate growl from off to the side of the room.</p><p>"How can you be joking at a time like this?" muttered a more irate than usual Raven. "Ranma and his friends are in <em>actual </em>danger, if you hadn't noticed."</p><p>Ryouga, standing on the other side of the dagger glaring Robin nodded forcefully in agreement. "Yeah, I wanna know why the heck that pigtailed jerk didn't tell any of us there was some kind of epic duel going on tonight! Now he's in totally over his head and there's no way that we can get there in time to pull his butt out of the fire," growled the (much less handsome) fanged boy.</p><p>Robin stopped glaring just long enough to nod as well. "I don't understand why he wouldn't have asked us for help. After that last battle, he must have known something like this could have been possible. I can't believe how stubborn he can be," he grumbled.</p><p>For some reason, Raven pulled up her hood, apparently doing her best to vanish into its dark folds. Considering how innocuous she was being about it, Beast Boy would have sworn it was the dark girl's equivalent to whistling innocently. But that was just silly, what did Raven have to act innocently about? Anyway...</p><p>"Shyeah, right," he scoffed loudly. "You two are just jellin cuz Ranma is gonna take out big bad Brushy without your help."</p><p>The two boys looked at each other, then, and in a rare moment of perfect agreement, they turned back to face him. As one, in creepy synchronization, they answered-</p><p>"Heck no!" Ooooh, stereo!</p><p>"We're jealous because he gets to fight-"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-Goku! Anyone but Goku! Anyone but Goku!" he repeated his newest mantra over and over again as he frantically tore down the street.</p><p>He stopped just long enough to suck in another lungful of oxygen... and fire off a silent prayer to the gods above. 'Please let it be the EVA!' That'd be nice, wouldn't it? After all, it couldn't really destroy the world without all the existential weird stuff that he didn't understand at all popping up everywhere. And, really, what was an AT field compared to anything else out there? Yeah, fighting a twelve-story metal monstrosity would be the best-case scenario tonight...</p><p>For some reason, Ranma almost felt like crying.</p><p>Heck, he'd even take the sailor scout. After all, she could only destroy the world <em>once</em>, he was sure he could handle that. And that other guy, he was fairly sure it was the guy from that famous anime movie... what the heck was his name again? Meh, like it mattered, Ranma was pretty sure that guy was <em>only </em>capable of blowing up the city... that'd be easy to deal with... wouldn't it?</p><p>"Anyone but Goku! Anyone but Goku!" he started chanting aga-</p><p>The pigtailed martial artist skidded to a stop; he could practically smell the soles of his shoes melting from the friction. A sudden surge of chi appeared before him, a fraction of a second later, the owner of that chi appeared before him. Somewhere, far, far, far, far in the back of his mind, he was reminded of the two other teleporters he had fought before and how he'd begun to find the ability's weakness. Unfortunately, the cognizant portion of his mind had absolutely no time to consider such trivial facts considering the sight before him.</p><p>Floating confidently before him, bulky arms crossed tightly across his massive chest, was-</p><p>"<em>Goku</em>!"</p><p>Damn it! Damn it! <em>Damn it</em>! That was <em>so completely </em>just his luck.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The caped crusader watched the numerous monitors intently, studying the various combatants, analyzing the potential outcomes...</p><p>Or at least that's what he was <em>trying </em>to do!</p><p>"C'mon, Batsie! Let's just go down there and clean this mess up, it's pretty obvious those kids down there are totally out of their league here," suggested the Flash, his voice nearly whining.</p><p>Batman let out a silent sigh and turned to face the rest of the room's occupants, though he was sorely reluctant to tear his gaze from the upcoming battles. It was a small group; most everyone was out on various other missions. The Flash was just a few feet behind him and to his side. Further back, the Man of Steel watched the various news feeds with a concerned look on his face and his arms crossed over the red 'S' on his chest. Sitting at a console further down, also watching the monitors, was Green Arrow; it was obvious that Ollie shared his interest in the combat skills these youths had demonstrated in their last televised battle. Finally, leaning against a wall at the back of the room, generally being ignored by everyone, was Booster Gold... for some reason...</p><p>Unhappy with the interruption, he leveled a flat glare at the crimson speedster, "You <em>know</em> the agreement. We don't interfere with the Titans unless they ask us for assistance," he stated in a low voice.</p><p>"Be reasonable, Bruce," implored the Kryptonian in the room, "This battle isn't like dealing with someone like Death Stroke or Brother Blood, this Brushogun creature is a serious threat. Besides, there aren't even any actual Titans down there."</p><p>"Yeah!" cheered the Flash, "Besides, I'd pay <em>money </em>to see Supe's get his butt handed to him by <em>Goku</em>!" He quickly ducked out of the way of Superman's glare, though, since in this case, looks <em>could </em>kill.</p><p>Surprisingly, Green Arrow spun around in his chair to join the conversation. "The kid's got a Titan signal on him, that's real enough for me. Besides, do you think those kids down there would actually be <em>grateful</em> if we just descended from the heavens to lend a helping hand?"</p><p>Batman nodded in a rare moment of agreement with his non-metahuman teammate. "Unlike a certain alien or Amazon princess, not <em>all </em>of us are going to be around forever. We need to let this new generation of potential heroes develop on their own. If we dropped down and took over every time <em>we</em> thought they were in over their heads, how would they grow? Remember, none of <em>us </em>had anyone there to hold <em>our </em>hands along the way. No, we wait until they actually ask for help," he stated with no small amount of finality.</p><p>Flash let out a loud groan. "Seriously, I don't get what the big deal is! These kids ask each other for help all the time. I seriously doubt any of them are actually that proud. Honestly, there's been so much back and forth going on around the world lately, that I can't even keep my fantasy superhero team straight anymore!"</p><p>Off to his side, the emerald archer just shook his head sadly. "You just don't get it, do ya? There's a huge difference between asking their peers for help and asking the League for help." The rather clueless expression on the Flash's face prompted Green Arrow to continue... after letting out another beleaguered sigh. "Look, Flash, these kids ask each other for help, so they can <em>help</em> each other in their battles. People don't ask <em>Superman </em>for <em>help</em>; they call Superman to be <em>saved</em>."</p><p>A rare look of understanding flashed across the speedster's face, his mouth forming into a tiny 'o' shape. Further back, the Kryptonian in question raised a finger, as if preparing to argue the point... then slowly lowered the digit back down. Batman hid his smile of satisfaction at getting his point across, even if Arrow had to do it for him.</p><p>Honestly, it was unlikely that Green Arrow or himself would be able to contribute much to the battle down below, except for knowledge and experience. However, if Superman or the Flash were to go down right then, they wouldn't <em>help </em>the group of warriors, they would take over instantly and finish the battle themselves.</p><p>"I don't get it, what's the difference?" grumbled Booster Gold from the nosebleed section.</p><p>Batman was sorely tempted to answer that question but being one of the founding members of the Justice League, a certain amount of respect and tolerance was expected from him. So, instead, he was more than content to field that question back to Green Arrow, who was under no such compunctions.</p><p>"Of course you don't get it. You're only in this for the money and fame. These Titans, old and new, east, and west, are all doing this for just two reasons: their morals and their pride. Since you don't seem to have either, I doubt you'll ever understand why these kids need to fight their own battles..."</p><p>The caped crusader smiled; he couldn't have put it better himself...</p><p>Now, he just hoped these children survived his expectations of them.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Daizo held his arms tighter to his chest, his laser pistol held firmly in both hands before him. His back was pressed firmly to the wall of the alcove behind him as he took a few more seconds to steel his resolve. He took another long breath, feeling the gentle breeze in the air blow over him. It fluttered through the folds of his trench coat and teased the fringe of his fedora, even as the slight chill cooled his clammy skin. As far as last moments went... it was kind of nice, very Zen.</p><p>Finally collected once more, he took another glance around the corner, taking in Brushogun and his target once more. Hmmm, that was odd... not to mention interesting. Brushogun was still in the same pose he was nearly a minute earlier. The bizarre creature was still standing perfectly still, back arched, arms upraised, and head thrown back in rapture... except there was no maniacal laughter this time. Brushogun was just... staring at the sky, except his empty, white eyes were closed.</p><p>Hmmm, indeed. The veteran officer had no idea what the circus freak was doing, but he knew an opening when he saw one. Letting out the breath he didn't even know he was holding, Daizo slowly slid around the corner. He stood there for a moment, completely exposed if his unstable opponent did so much as crack an eyelid... but it never happened.</p><p>Feeling a little emboldened, but not about to go crazy here, he slowly began to slide towards the towering ebony figure, keeping his back pressed to the building faces as he went. It was slow, nerve wracking work and he froze several times at perceived twitches or tricks of the light. Eventually, after a seeming eternity, he was in position, pressed back against the wall directly beside his target. Only thirty feet separated him from the weakly gasping figure at Brushogun's... feet?</p><p>It took him nearly half a minute to build up the nerve to move from there. As tough as he was, he was still keenly aware that he was the Lilliputian in the land of giants. Just one look at those inky black scythes that Brushogun was trying to pass off as fingers was enough to remind him just how easily this thing could kill him if it really wanted.</p><p>Why, oh, why, did doing the right thing always equate to doing the stupid thing?</p><p>In a burst of speed that would have made Saotome slap a hand to his face in shame, Daizo pushed off from the wall. He ran as fast as his mere mortal legs would carry him, skidding to a stop right above his goal. Not even waiting to see if Brushogun noticed him yet, he knelt and picked up his target...</p><p>The nearly unconscious form of one: Tendo Akane.</p><p>It was a bit hard to tell, what with the healthy coating of... black, but it was hard to miss the fact that it was a young woman in his arms. He wasn't a detective, but it didn't take a large leap of logic to determine the girl in his arms was the missing fiancée of Saotome. Well, either that, or an evil doppelganger set out to kill anyone foolish enough to try to rescue the girl...</p><p>Damn, he sure hoped it wasn't that.</p><p>Well, screw it, too late to go back now. A quick glance up showed Brushogun still not paying attention to anything but the inside of his eyelids. What the heck was the guy doing?</p><p>He shook his fedora clad head, now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. He had a civilian to get to safety. Granted, it was a civilian that could wipe the floor with him if she were up and about, but still, it was all part of the job. Moving as quickly as his burden would allow, he made his way to a nearby alley and ducked inside. He made sure he got out of sight, at least twenty feet into the alley, before he finally set the girl down.</p><p>He gave her a quick once over, looking for any obvious signs of injury, but luckily didn't see any. Her breathing was still shallow but considering that Brushogun had been carrying her around in his pocket, that wasn't much of a surprise.</p><p>In a sort of gentle manner, he slapped her cheek, trying to snap her back to consciousness. After several ministrations, he was rewarded with a large wad of black sludge spilling out over his coat as the girl suddenly coughed up the last few dredges of whatever it was that she'd nearly drowned in.</p><p>"Hey," he whispered quietly, "Hey, kid, are you all right?"</p><p>The girl spent a few more moments coughing and gagging, but eventually her eyes rolled in his direction. They had never met before, but he was fairly sure that she recognized who he was, judging by the look in her eyes. Apparently not quite feeling up to talking yet, she just nodded weakly.</p><p>He let out a long sigh of relief at that. He wasn't about to be doing any fighting, but at least he'd gotten her to safety. Hmm, better make sure, though.</p><p>"Are you Tendo Akane?" he asked a bit tentatively.</p><p>The dyed girl stared at him oddly for a moment, before nodding weakly again. ". . . y... yes, I am."</p><p>He let out an even longer sigh of relief at that. Oh, sure, she could just be lying to him and just be waiting to disembowel him as soon as he turned his back, but, hey, he just wasn't that paranoid. "Alright, let's get you to safety then. My men are all around here, all we have to do is get you to some of them and they can get you out of here," he explained seriously.</p><p>Daizo stood up then, carefully pulling the girl to her feet with a hand on her arm. She seemed to be regaining her strength faster now. However, he seemed to be having some trouble with leading her to safety... namely the fact that he was completely unable to budge the young woman. Pulling a little harder at the girl's elbow yielded no better results, heck, she didn't even seem to notice his efforts. All her focus was on the mouth of the alley.</p><p>"Um, Miss Tendo, you aren't exactly making the whole 'getting you to safety' thing any easier," he mumbled in annoyance.</p><p>That seemed to work, as the girl finally turned back to face him. Her expression was surprisingly serious, and more than a little angry. "We can't leave yet," she stated flatly, "I need to tell Ranma what Brushogun is. He might be able to figure out how to use it against him."</p><p>Hmm, well, that seemed interesting. "Well, what the heck are you waiting for? Tell me now so I can figure something out, then you can tell Saotome the next time you see him. In case you didn't notice, all your little kung fu buddies are getting chased down by murderous manga moguls," he said quickly.</p><p>Akane looked ready to disregard him completely for a moment and run off to find Saotome herself, obviously no respect for her elders, but soon enough she nodded. Turning back to face him, she carefully removed his hand from her shoulder. Gentle as a vice wrapped in silk, anyway, damn, she just did <em>not</em> look like she should be able to do that kind of stuff, and yet, she <em>was</em> Saotome's fiancée.</p><p>"Brushogun is a demon. But not just any demon, he claims to be a demon of ink, newly resurrected from its centuries long slumber," she told him seriously.</p><p>"Well, that doesn't sound any crazier than anything else around here," he muttered in disbelief. "How exactly does that help us, though?"</p><p>"It means that none of those people that Ranma is fighting out there are <em>real</em>, Officer. They're just facsimiles, they might look like the originals, but there's just no way that they can be as powerful as the real ones. Especially not those four. If I can tell Ranma that, he might be able to figure something out. Or, at the very least, he wouldn't be as worried about them as he must be right now," she explained carefully.</p><p>Still not overly helpful, but she was right about that last part at any rate. Plus, that first point of information gave him an important amount of leeway in how he could deal with the situation. Taking a step closer to the mouth of the alley, he nodded to her seriously. "Alright then, I'll go... get Brushogun's attention. As soon as I do, you go find Saotome."</p><p>Rather than inquire as to his plan, the girl just nodded and together they moved to the end of the alley.</p><p>Yep, just as he expected. Brushogun was still just standing there, looking up like a turkey in the rain. A smirk formed on his weathered lips as he looked across the gulf that separated him from the Ink Demon. He then lifted his pistol and played around with the settings, setting every single dial to its maximum setting: aperture, intensity, duration. He'd probably drain the damn thing dry in his first shot, but what the hell, no time to worry about that now.</p><p>Not being the overly dramatic type, Daizo didn't wait for some fallen leaf or drop of water to signal his charge. Rather, he ran out as soon as finished playing with his high-tech toy, which was already starting to hum worryingly in his hand.</p><p>He pounded the pavement between them, closing the space as quickly as he could. A few seconds later, he skidded to a stop right in front of Brushogun. This time, the inhumanly tall demon seemed to react to his presence, starting to lean forward slowly and uncertainly. Daizo smiled, 'Too slow this time, Brushy.' Now it was <em>his </em>turn to play rough... After all -</p><p>It's a well-known fact that Demons are not entitled to due process.</p><p>"Eat <em>this</em>, you spectral anomaly!" he roared righteously.</p><p>With that, he lifted his angrily whining hand-cannon up before him and pulled the trigger. The weapon started to vibrate slightly in his hand, the whine increasing several octaves as a blinding red light began to build up at the end of the gun's barrel. A hundredth of a second later, the end of the gun exploded into a beam of coherent crimson light six inches in diameter!</p><p>The beam crashed into Brushogun's jaw, cutting through the skin like paper and scorching the bone to ash in seconds. The lance of energy carried on through the Brushogun's head, dissolving his face instantly and blasting out the back of the demon's skull, on into the depths of space. A half a second after <em>that</em>, heat akin to that of the sun boiled all the liquid in his skull and his entire head <em>exploded</em> in a great gout of black ichor!</p><p>With a great thud... Brushogun's lifeless body collapsed to the ground, a steady stream of midnight black ink spilling out onto the pavement.</p><p>Daizo just stared down at the body in shock, eyes as wide as saucers... Wow, that hadn't been <em>quite </em>what he'd expected. Had... had he actually <em>done </em>it?</p><p>He continued to stare at the corpse of Brushogun, not quite sure what to do with himself. Finally, after a full minute, he let out a long, weary breath.</p><p>"Just get up, would you? I'm not gonna turn my back just so you can rise up dramatically behind me and strike me down," he muttered in disgust.</p><p>Like he was <em>really </em>going to believe that this fight was going to end <em>that </em>easily? His luck had never been that good, and it had been a hell of a lot worse since he'd met Saotome.</p><p>Much to his <em>unsurprise </em>Brushogun's headless body rose from the ground... his motions seeming downright petulant. Within moments, stomach turning moments that would join the exploding Mecha-Boi and deflating Godzilla in the dark recesses of his memories that would return to haunt him in his nightmares for years to come, Brushogun's head reformed before his very eyes. If it weren't for the inhuman features of the demon, Daizo would swear he looked annoyed.</p><p>"First you spoil my entertainment, then you spoil my fun. Perhaps Miss Tendo was correct, people seem to know this story just a little too well," hissed the demonic entity.</p><p>Daizo stared at Brushogun, seriously beginning to doubt the demon's sanity. Then he shrugged, like <em>he </em>should be lecturing anyone on the merits of sanity. "Alright, then. Brushogun, you're under arrest. Do you want me to read you your rights, or do you already know those lines?" he asked with a sneer. He then raised his weapon up once more, highly dubious as to its functionality.</p><p>His demonic opponent seemed to consider his statement, apparently trying to construct some scathing and witty reply worthy of true, villainous banter. Unfortunately, then his demonic opponent seemed to realize that he was talking to an old man with a busted ray gun.</p><p>"Oh, <em>shut up</em>!"</p><p>Then Brushogun backhanded him...</p><p><em>Hard</em>.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane winced harshly as she watched the Lieutenant's body go rag dolling through the air. A moment later, he crashed through a second story window of a nearby apartment building, sending a spray of shattered glass into the air. She certainly hoped he survived; he wasn't exactly a martial artist.</p><p>Unfortunately, she hadn't exactly taken full advantage of the Lieutenant's distraction, being so shocked by what he did that she'd been frozen herself. This, of course, had one notable and negative repercussion.</p><p>Brushogun began to slither in her direction, smiling malevolently indeed.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Kaneda..."</p><p>Ryu stared at his young opponent, not sure what the heck the guy was going on about.</p><p>"What the heck are you going on about?" he asked, taking the direct approach. Rather than answer him, the caped fighter just started to glare at him hatefully. It was slightly unnerving... and were those dust particles starting to float <em>up </em>around the spiky haired kid?</p><p>"<em>Kaneda,"</em> this time he hissed the name like it was poison. Slowly, the boy began to hunch down slightly, pulling his arms to his chest. Several veins began to form on the boy's massive forehead, pulsating dangerously.</p><p>Ryu took an unconscious step back. "Hey! I don't know who the hell this Kaneda guy is...," he stated slightly nervous for no logical reason.</p><p>If his enemy heard him, he paid absolutely no mind. Instead, the young man straightened out painfully, screaming at the top of his lungs, even as the pavement buckled and shredded around him in an awesome display of power!</p><p>"<strong><em>KAANEEEDAAAA</em></strong>!"</p><hr/><p>On a nearby rooftop, Private Kaneda curled up into a fetal position, rocking back and forth in panic.</p><p>"Oh, God, it's just like my dream!"</p><hr/><p>Half a world away, a diminutive genius jumped up excitedly, pumping a tiny fist into the air.</p><p>"<strong><em>TETSUOOOO</em></strong>!"</p><p>"Oh, shaddup!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"<em>HAAAAAA</em>!" Thunder howled to the night sky as he unleashed the full fury of the power alongside his brother. They weren't here to prove their skill like their companions, this was a match of pure power, and none possessed more power than Thunder and Lightning!</p><p>Pushing out his glowing, rumbling palms with all his strength, a lance of pure sonic energy exploded from his outstretched hands. Every window in a hundred yards shattered to dust, heralding the horizontal column of thunder given form. It tore through the air, unerringly seeking out the scantily clad female before them.</p><p>Side by side with the four-foot diameter beam of his energy, his brother's bolt of lightning scorched the air with its passage. The air screamed as it was ionized and vibrated into unrecognizable molecules by the power of their combined attacks, the pavement shattered like glass, then melted <em>into </em>glass, the very heavens themselves roared in approval.</p><p>Rather than scream in terror and flee, as Thunder expected, the sailor suited girl simply lifted her great halberd before her, parallel with the earth. Just before the attacks reached her, the girl's lips moved in a whisper, her words lost to the din of the thunder.</p><p>Then she vanished. The entire world went white for several long moments, as they unleashed the true extent of their elemental powers. Buildings quaked to their very foundations and the city was once more lit up like day as they continued to feed their energy into the strike of annihilation. Finally, after many long moments, they were forced to cease their attack, both slumping forward, flushed with sweat and breathing like a bellows.</p><p>Revealing the completely unscathed figure of their nemesis. Lingering arcs of gold and azure danced along the edges of an invisible dome that encompassed and protected the girl perfectly. Devastation surrounded the girl on all sides, utter and complete, yet not even a single pebble had been disturbed within the confines of that impenetrable wall...</p><p>Then, the sailor soldier lifted the glaive up, above her head, its gleaming blade pointed to the heavens. Again, her lips moved, this time her words glided across the perfect silence that was the epilogue of their great attack.</p><p>"Silence Glaive Surprise...," the words were said in hardly a whisper.</p><p>With casual, deliberate ease, the lovely young women then lowered the tip of her long weapon to the ground before her and, almost as an afterthought...</p><p>She tapped it to the earth.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Natsume pushed her sister to the side as hard as she could, even as she leapt in the opposite direction. A fraction of a second later, a metallic hand of unbelievable proportions smashed to the ground between them. The pavement buckled and lifted around the edges of the hand, and Natsume used the rising slabs of infrastructure to launch herself into the air and move further away from the armored behemoth and its numerous attempts to swat them like the insignificant gnats they were.</p><p>The usually calm and collected sister let out a relieved sigh when she saw her sister mirroring her movements. This battle was nothing like the struggle against the great dragon a week earlier. That creature had been sluggish and clumsy, slow to strike. This beast was a creature of a different color completely... in more ways than one. Lanky and graceful, precise, and quick... Frankly, it would be a miracle if the two of them could make it to the massive government buildings only another hundred meters away. Though it was a pitifully short distance, especially to a pair of world-weary travelers, now it was the longest stretch of land she had ever remembered seeing.</p><p>A moment later, she was at Kurumi's side, running headlong to their destination... Then she noticed something odd...</p><p>The earth had stopped shaking! She turned frantically behind her, to see if the giant had leapt into the air, attempting to crush them under its massive bulk... But that was not the case. She and Kurumi stared in confusion as the skeletal machine sat on its haunches, recovering from its latest attempt to crush them to exceedingly small smears. It was very unnerving, as the machine almost appeared to be staring back at them, its horned head bobbing slowly from side to side.</p><p>"M-maybe it's tired?" muttered her not quite panicked sister. Natsume was proud of her, being able to maintain her composure against such a fearsome opponent, even if just barely. She couldn't imagine there was another girl in the world Kurumi's age that could boast the same iron will.</p><p>It was about then, that Natsume remembered her plan. Why in the name of the Gods were they waiting for it to chase them again? She began to back up, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder and gently pulling her along, though nervously keeping an eye on the great beast.</p><p>Then the robotic monstrosity raised its right hand up to the massive pauldron that covered its left shoulder, for what reason she could not fath-</p><p>With a hiss, the large piece of armor split in half, revealing a massive handle, which quickly angled itself to be gripped by the monster. The robot did just that, pulling out what appeared to be a small, butterfly knife... A small butterfly knife with a blade at least ten feet long! Then, even as the pauldron closed mechanically, the blade began to hum loudly, glowing with an odd, purplish aura for some indiscernible reason.</p><p>Really... as if the blade itself wasn't enough, did it <em>really </em>need to glow as well?</p><p>Needless to say, after seeing a giant robot <em>pull</em> a <em>knife</em> on her...</p><p>The chase was back on.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma watched nervously as Goku slowly floated to the ground, a strangely non-threatening smile on the Saiyan's lips. As soon as the planet smashing alien touched down, he dropped back into a loose fighting stance, raising his fists up before him.</p><p>"Well, I guess we better get this over with. Can't have you running around doing whatever it was you were planning on doing," stated the alien in a most amiable manner.</p><p>Hmm, he sure didn't <em>sound </em>like a bloodthirsty monster. It was strangely reminiscent to when he had faced down Ryouga back in the States, when the boy's memories had been altered. It was like he was actually talking to Goku, and Goku thought <em>he </em>was the bad guy. Unfortunately, considering how Brushogun had just made the guy out of street sweepings, the odds of snapping the guy out of it seemed slim.</p><p>So, an alternative plan began to form in his mind.</p><p>Goku shifted his stance, pulling his right fist back and preparing to lash out. Just as the impossibly powerful Saiyan was about to lash out-</p><p>"<em>Wait</em>!" Ranma shouted at the top of his lungs, "I have to ask you a question!"</p><p>Just as he'd hoped, the alien fighter stopped, in mid-step. Goku looked at him, confused for a moment, before straightening up and casually running a hand through his spiky locks.</p><p>"Umm, sure, I guess. What do you want to know?"</p><p>Ranma nearly let out an explosive sigh of relief that <em>that </em>had <em>actually </em>worked but swallowed it at the last second. Thankfully, Goku was just as trusting as he was in the manga... now to see if he was just as naive. Of course, there was just <em>one </em>question he had to ask first... just for the set up... really. He vainly tried to hide his smile.</p><p>"Is my power level... <em>over</em> <strong><em>nine thousand</em></strong>?" He nearly choked on his own laughter as he shouted his question to the heavens.</p><p>Goku just looked at him for a moment, the expression on the Saiyan's face just screaming 'Is this guy completely nuts?'. A second later, Goku shook his head in confusion.</p><p>"What? <em>No</em>! Not even <em>close</em>, why would you even ask that?"</p><p>The pigtailed warrior snapped a pair of imaginary fingers in his mind. That <em>would </em>have been awesome.</p><p>"Oh... well, ya know, I was just curi - <em>Oh my God! Ki sucking Androids"</em> Ranma suddenly shouted out the warning, pointing dramatically behind his opponent. 'Man, that wouldn't even work on Ryouga,' he thought to himself, even as he shouted out the desperate gambit.</p><p>"What? Where?" barked his latest companion, spinning around quickly to check for himself.</p><p>He didn't even take the time to smirk, as he ran forward and leapt into the air. The pigtailed warrior spun around three times in mid-air, before lashing out with the most powerful spinning jump kick he could muster. His limb crashed into the back of Goku's head with enough force to cave in a reinforced concrete military bunker...</p><p>A second later, he was back on the ground, hopping on one foot and clutching his throbbing shin nearly to his chest. Damn! He was fairly sure he hadn't shattered it, but... but just <em>damn</em>! As far as hurting like heck to hit, Goku was as far beyond Mecha-Boi, as Mecha-Boi was beyond Ryouga... was beyond a normal human!</p><p>Slowly, Goku turned back to face him, absently rubbing a hand to the back of his head, more than likely fixing his hair than tending a wound. There was a slightly hurt look on the alien's face as he stared back at him.</p><p>"Heeey," Goku nearly whined, "You fight <em>dirty</em>."</p><p>Yeah, well not <em>everyone </em>had world shattering ki blasts to toss around, oh so sorry about that... Jackass. Ranma gingerly lowered his stinging leg back to the ground and shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"Can't blame a guy for tryin... can ya?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun let out a grunt of annoyance as he felt a shoe repeatedly kick him in the ribs. It didn't hurt him or anything, but it was certainly distracting him from watching the battle vicariously through his minions. Once again, he pulled his consciousness back from his minions, melded the hundred different minds back into one, cohesive whole. It was coming more quickly now, but having just lost his head over it, quite literally, it was a weakness he would have to deal with sooner than later.</p><p>Once his brain was back in his head again, or at least that was how it felt, he opened his eyes to glare at his companion. Held tightly in his hand, her feet dangling several feet above the pavement, was Tendo Akane. Unfortunately, his recaptured captive was not politely quivering in fear and begging for her life. Rather, she was shouting obscenities quite loudly and kicking him in the ribs repeatedly. If it weren't for the fact that he was saving her for later, he would have been <em>sorely, sorely </em>tempted to turn her inside out.</p><p>"Miss Tendo, <em>please</em>! We've already been over this. I'm not actually controlling my minions when I am in that state, so distracting me as you are is <em>not </em>going to help your friends. All you're doing is ruining my entertainment. Really, how am I supposed to enjoy the deaths of your fiancé and his friends with you <em>kicking </em>me all night long?" he asked, clearly exasperated.</p><p>She just growled at him. The worst part was that she was clearly aware that he was only saving her to kill later, so she obviously didn't feel any need to hold back on her rather pointed opinions.</p><p>"You expect me to believe that? How could you possibly make four such powerful people and not need to control them every second?" she asked in disbelief.</p><p>He rolled his eyes. "Now, really, that hardly matters at the moment. The real question you should be asking is <em>how</em> could I possibly make such powerful minions and not need to control them."</p><p>Akane just <em>stared</em> at him. "Ahh... I kinda just did there... nutjob," the last word was whispered, but he still heard it keenly. It just made him smile all the wider.</p><p>"I know, I just love seeing you make that <em>face</em>!" He laughed merrily at the shade of red her pretty cheeks took on. "But, seriously, it is a simple thing, really. You see, the secret of my power, which incidentally won't help you in the least," he paused for dramatic effect.</p><p>"Is <em>source material<strong>.</strong></em>"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ryu tossed the collapsed wall off his body and rolled frantically to the side, just in time to see a ton of steel in the form of an automobile smash into the space he had just been occupying a second earlier. Not wasting the breath to gasp in shock, the Yamasen-ken master dove out of the shattered building and back into the street. Just in time, too, as the gutted shell of the structure collapsed in on itself, as if a black hole had opened at its center. He ran as fast as he could, even as he stared in awe as several metric tons of the onetime building were compacted down to a sphere several meters in diameter.</p><p>"I swear to God! I don't know who this Kaneda guy <em>even is</em>!" he shouted over his shoulder.</p><p>Gods, he had no idea who Kaneda was, but whoever he was, he had gotten this guy <em>seriously pissed off</em>! In the distance, the red caped figure just screamed the name again. The boy then swung back his cape, revealing the oddly metallic arm that had been hiding beneath it earlier. Ryu would have been freaked out by it... if it weren’t absolutely the lowest thing on his list of priorities now. The mad psychic lifted the cybernetic limb over his head, this time uprooting three concrete light posts in the process.</p><p>Though the kid likely could have moved them with a simple roll of his wrist, instead, the enraged youth swung his arm forward in a furious baseball swing. The multi-ton light fixtures nearly tore themselves apart trying to obey his command, barreling through the air in a psychic imitation of a lumberjack’s logjam. There was no way in hell that he could dodge three such massive objects...</p><p>So, he didn't-</p><p>"<strong><em>Kijin Raishū Dan</em></strong>!"</p><p>He lashed out in a downward slash with his right hand, followed it with a matching movement from his left hand, then ripped his right hand back up through the air once more. A trio of tears in the fabric of the atmosphere roared to life and curved unerringly through the air to find his targets. The first vacuum blade slashed the leading lamppost neatly in half and sheared a good five feet of the end of the second. The next blade cut a diagonal slash through the second post, off center enough to send both slabs of concrete flying, now completely unbalanced, off harmlessly into nearby buildings. The third blade tore through the first post again and slashed the third column nearly completely length wise, the resistance of his attack slowed the post's flight enough to let him easily avoid it with a simple jump.</p><p>A second later, the concrete debris crashed down wildly around him, into the road, the sidewalk, and several buildings. However, while his opponent's attack was foiled, his was just getting started!</p><p>The trio of blades continued their flights, barely hindered at all by tearing through enough concrete to build a small bridge. The Yamasen-ken master smiled wickedly as he watched his attacks fly true. A look of shock appeared on his unimaginably powerful enemy's face. At the last moment, the spiky haired kid threw his hands out before him, as if in a desperate attempt to ward off his attack with his bare hands. Ryu scoffed at the very notion...</p><p>Except that it actually <em>worked</em>!</p><p>Even Ryu's keen eyes couldn't see what stopped the vacuum blades. One second, they were cutting through the air, the next, they splashed harmlessly over some kind of invisible barrier! Whatever the kid did, it was powerful enough to stop his most powerful attack dead in its tracks... almost...</p><p>Though no normal person would have seen it, heck, he doubted even Saotome could sense such trace amounts, but Ryu saw it clearly... it was his chi after all. Where each of his vacuum blades had crashed into the barrier, a ghostly afterimage had traveled through, carrying on for a foot or so before dispersing completely.</p><p>In a flash of insight, he realized what had just happened instantly. It was the true secret of the Kijin Raishū Dan, of his vacuum blades. It was possibly the most subtle aspect of the Yamasen-ken and he was certain it was only known to himself and to the fat oaf that had created the technique. It was likely the only reason that Saotome hadn't just copied it himself.</p><p>The secret of his vacuum blades was that even as he used the rapid movement of his hands to create the vacuum, he channeled a small amount of his chi into each blade at the same time. After all, the very nature of a vacuum is to be filled. It was exactly the reason that Ranma's crazy "Demon Straw" technique had worked. If he didn't fill the vacuum blades with something, they would disperse as quickly as he made them.</p><p>Which meant one thing.</p><p>While the physical aspect of his attack, the razor-sharp blade of air, was stopped by the barrier, his chi was able to pass through unhindered!</p><p>. . . Except... he had no idea how that could help him now. Damn! He didn't have an actual chi blast to use, like Saotome. Maybe... maybe he could figure something ou-</p><p>"<strong><em>Kaaneedaaa</em></strong>!"</p><p>Unfortunately, his little moment of insight had made him waste valuable time he could have been using to getting the <em>hell </em>out of the way of his opponent's way.</p><p>It started small, hardly even noticeable, really. His cape wearing nemesis swung his arm across his body, aiming his outstretched fingers at one of the buildings off to his side. Though it was so small, Ryu noticed several bricks of the wall begin to collapse inward, being pushed by some invisible force.</p><p>"<em>RAAUUGGHHHH</em>!" The boy screamed in hatred, then swung his arm in a furious arc before him.</p><p>Instantly, the entire building he had been pointing at shattered, practically exploded upward! Not just the building, but the sidewalk in front of it and even the floor inside the building; it all didn't just collapse, either! The entire building, the road, all the debris began to float upward! Then, the building next to it exploded as well, following in the wake of the boy's furious gesture. Another building after that erupted into a floating fountain of shrapnel, stone, and steel, this one almost right beside Ryu!</p><p>Then the destruction continued its arc, tearing into the road, a swath forty feet wide, with him right in the center! Ryu screamed in shock as the pavement tore itself to pieces and erupted up beneath his feet. The next several moments were a true lesson in the meaning of pain, as he was crushed/pummeled/ground to dust by a storm of asphalt and concrete slabs.</p><p>After a seeming eternity, he finally collapsed to the ground, half buried under the rubble that had just slammed him about so mercilessly. Absently, through a glazed over eye, he noticed the trail of destruction was continuing on, tearing into three or four buildings on the other side of the street as well.</p><p>Only one thought crossed his mind, even as an unfamiliar shadow came to fill his fading vision.</p><p>'Now <em>that</em> is how it's <em>done</em>!'</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>'Yes!'</p><p>They had made it! The massive twin towers of the government building rose before them. Unfortunately, Natsume and her heavily panting sister didn't have time to celebrate arriving at their destination. As one, they leapt forward, nearly horizontally, to evade the deadly humming blade the robotic monstrosity was swinging around. They might have been gnats to this creature, but she knew well just how annoying it could be to swat a gnat, let alone knife one.</p><p>"Kurumi, start climbing the east tower, I shall climb the west! Don't stop climbing till you reach the top." she ordered her sister. At this point, Kurumi didn't even question her. The younger girl just ran ahead and towards the looming structure before them.</p><p>The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was truly an imposing marvel of engineering. Each tower stood over fifty stories high, though they were connected by an interposing structure for the first thirty or so stories. The top twenty stories of each tower were architectural masterpieces, almost as if someone had gripped the tops of the towers themselves and turned them ninety degrees from the lower levels.</p><p>My, but they were tall...</p><p>Natsume let out a small sigh, they had much climbing to do, it appeared. She had one thing to do first, though. She waited to see Kurumi start climbing the far tower, first, her sister easily cleared the first three stories, before landing on a ledge and launching herself further up. That, at least, was a relief, she should get to a safe distance soon enough.</p><p>Comforted by her sister's escape, Natsume turned to face the metal giant that stalked them.</p><p>Already, it was showing signs of confusion, as she'd hoped. It seemed torn between attacking her, the closest target, or going after the retreating form of her sister. She decided to make its decision much easier.</p><p>"<em>Haaaaa</em>!" She let out a war cry as she unleashed a powerful cyclone in the giant’s direction. The swirling windstorm tore a small trench in the concrete beneath them... before dispersing harmlessly against an orange tinted, hexagonal field.</p><p>What? This thing possessed some form of energy barrier as well? That was just ridiculous!</p><p>Slowly, the giant machine turned its horned head to gaze in her direction. Though it was just a soulless machine, she could almost swear it was looking at her <em>hungrily</em>. It was more than slightly disturbing. Well, now would be a good time to get back to her plan, before she started to panic and forgot it completely.</p><p>She whipped up another cyclone, this one much wider and less tightly concentrated than the last. As she planned, it sucked up all the debris and dust from the ground, forming a momentary smoke screen to cover her flight. As soon as she finished her swing, she was already running for the building.</p><p>Behind her, she heard the blade of the knife stab deeply into the ground where she had just been. Oddly, intense vibrations began to run up her legs, even as she ran, it was an... odd sensation. She pushed the irrelevant information to the back of her mind and ran. As soon as she reached the massive tower in front of her, she leapt for all she was worth, clearing the first four floors in her desperate bid to escape. As soon as she landed, she leapt again, clearing another three floors.</p><p>This time, she was forced to leap desperately to the side, only retaining her balance on the narrow ledge of the seventh floor by sheer willpower alone, as the massive arm of the giant robot dove through the glass and concrete wall of the tower, burying itself up to the elbow! Natsume scrambled to her feet...</p><p>Just in time to see its other fist flying towards her!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Lightning tentatively rose from where he had landed. His breathing was shallow and irregular, almost as if his lungs refused to obey their master any longer. Small beads of perspiration, almost unheard of on his person, formed on his forehead, even as his heart continued its hectic pace in his chest, threatening to burst out at a moment's notice. With what could only be called 'morbid fascination', he gazed at the crater left by the sailor suited girl's attack.</p><p>Though, crater hardly seemed apt, it was better described as a <em>trench</em>! It was easily one hundred yards long, starting where the tip of their enemy's great weapon so gently rested on the ground and carried on far past them. It was easily twenty meters wide at its middle, tapering to points at both ends, and was equally as deep, as if the Earth itself hadn't impeded the blast at the least. In fact, possibly due to the fact they were so close to the bay, the trench was already beginning to fill with water from some unseen source.</p><p>But the sheer amount of devastation she had created with absolutely no effort at all, that wasn't the worst... No, the most soul crushing aspect of her attempt to end their lives had most definitely been...</p><p>The <em>silence</em>! There hadn't been a sound! Not one! Not as the air was reduced to less then nothing, not as the earth was unmade beneath their feet. If ever he had imagined what it would be like to stare into the abyss, surely watching this slip of a girl deal out oblivion with such casual ease, was it.</p><p>Thankfully, he and his brother were not so slow as to be caught, even by such a monstrous attack... but it had certainly shaken the avatar of lightning to his very core.</p><p>'<em>Such power</em>!' Lightning had always believed that his was one of the greatest powers in existence. He had never met any that could match him, not even the Titan that drew her powers from the sun itself, though she had proved to be more than a match for his brother.</p><p>But <em>this </em>girl... she had turned away the full extent of his power as if it were nothing, then returned the favor a hundred-fold! <em>This</em> was <em>true </em>power; this was the power that he had always yearned for.</p><p>Desperately forcing his body to calm itself, he rose onto shaky legs. A grim smile began to grow on his thin lips. Though his brother and he might die here, he could not imagine a more worthy opponent to pit his power against. His smile grew wider, and he winked playfully at the scantily clad girl before them, bowing slightly.</p><p>"Let the fun begin!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Goku casually yawned as he used a single finger to block every single one of his opponent's frantic (but ridiculously slow) punches. The frustrated look on the pigtailed boy's face only increased as he leapt back and started shaking his hands, livid red marks nearly glowing right between the knuckles of both of his fists. Something wasn't quite clicking with the Saiyan warrior, something dancing around the edge of his consciousness that he couldn't quite grasp.</p><p>The young man leapt back a good thirty feet... not bad for a normal human... or was it? He'd been hanging around Krillin and the other Z fighters so long he wasn't too sure anymore. It was odd, the boy <em>seemed</em> to be extremely skilled in the martial arts, but he couldn't even do something as basic as <em>fly</em>!</p><p>"<em>Mouko Takabisha</em>!"</p><p>Goku raised an eyebrow at the glowing sphere of ki that came barreling in his direction. Hmm, maybe the kid wasn't as weak as he thought. Odd that he could do a ki blast but not fly, though, <em>everyone </em>he knew that could do a ki blast could fly. Almost as an afterthought, he swept his hand to the side, knocking the four-foot sphere off to the side. It crashed into a nearby building, smashing through the wall spectacularly.</p><p>Hmm, well, it had certainly <em>looked</em> nice, but it didn't pack any real power. Man, why was he even fighting this guy again? This kid couldn't have hurt him when he was <em>half </em>the kid's age.</p><p>Something else was bothering him as well, he wasn't quite feeling up to par himself, not even close to his usual power. It wasn't overly worrying considering who he was up against, but the absence was a bit strange, to say the least. Letting out a sigh, he knocked the double blasts that followed away with even less effort than the first.</p><p>"Ummm, I don't want to make you feel bad," he started out tentatively, "I mean, you have <em>great</em> form and everything... but I <em>really </em>don't think that's going to work. Don't you have <em>any </em>other moves you could try?" he asked a little hopefully.</p><p>The pigtailed boy looked about ready to erupt for a moment, his face going crimson with anger... then suddenly he calmed down completely. After a moment, the boy tilted his head curiously, then shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"Ah, yeah... actually I do," declared the young man. "It's pretty much my best move, but it only works when my opponent puts out a hot battle aura. I can show it to ya, if ya really want."</p><p>Goku thought about that for about a half a second, before his face split with a wide grin. "Hey, that'd be great! You just need me to put out a hot aura?" he asked with great interest.</p><p>Hmm, he wondered why this move needed him to put out a hot aura? He'd never really experienced any techniques that relied on the opponent doing anything. Pretty much every technique that everyone <em>he </em>knew, involved some kind of variation on chi blasts or chi enhancements. This sounded like it would be an interesting demonstration indeed.</p><p>The pigtailed boy in front of him nodded eagerly, beginning to smile what could only be described as a half sneaky, half surprised smile. Shrugging casually himself, the Saiyan warrior clenched his fists to his sides and arched his back, bringing his power to bear.</p><p>Instantly, a whitish aura exploded around him, sending the pigtailed boy stumbling back a few steps. Odd, that, it wasn't even like he was using his super Saiyan transformation... not that he was even sure he could in his odd condition. It didn't take too much effort to heat up his aura to a nice, toasty temperature. As soon as he figured he was good, he smiled amiably and nodded to his opponent.</p><p>"Is this good enough?" he asked.</p><p>Rather than answer, the boy just started jogging slowly to the side. Goku watched the boy, wondering if he was getting ready to run off... but instead, the pigtailed fighter started to slowly circle around him. Well, it started out slowly anyway, but sped up quickly as the boy started to run full out around him. He watched this for several revolutions (starting to get a little dizzy) before he noticed something interesting.</p><p>His opponent was emitting a cold battle aura... possibly as a defense to counter his equally hot aura. Hmm, he wondered if the kid was just trying to confuse him or something, before attacking from an odd angle. It wasn't like it would work, but he sure hoped that wasn't it. He really hoped the kid had a good technique hidden up his sleeve somewhere... he just couldn't imagine what kind of technique would require so much set up...</p><p>He started tapping his foot impatiently, as his opponent continued to circle around him, drawing slightly closer with each pass. It went on like that for nearly a whole <em>minute</em>, until something finally happened-</p><p>The pigtailed youth skidded to a stop right in front of him, panting slightly but with an excited smile on his face.</p><p>"Surprise, sucker!"</p><p>Then his opponent threw a powerful uppercut, right at his chin!</p><p>Goku nearly yawned...</p><p>"That's the surpri-"</p><p>Except the uppercut missed him, by a good foot!</p><p>"No! <em>This is! <strong>Hiryua Shoten Ha</strong></em>!"</p><p>Suddenly, Goku's world dissolved into a maelstrom of howling winds, and for the first time that night...</p><p>He actually felt pain!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Um... excuse me?"</p><p>Brushogun's smile only widened as his captive's confused look only deepened as she tried to decipher his meaning. Brushogun was really beginning to enjoy this expository sequence. Now he could stun her with the dramatic revelation of the true depths of his power!</p><p>"I discovered it almost by accident, my dear Akane, and I assure you it was quite the learning process," he began earnestly. This seemed like a good a time as any to explain his plot to one of the heroes, besides, he'd been dying to explain it to someone after he had finally figured it out himself. He still couldn't believe that it had taken him so long to figure out himself.</p><p>"When I first became Brushogun, I instinctively created several minions. Since it was not really a conscious act, I simply created vague copies of iconic figures from my youth. These four, including your friendly jailor, Mecha-Boi, were suitably powerful for my needs, so I didn't think anything of where that power came from. After all, I was a demon newly born, so the obvious answer was their power was simply a reflection of my own.</p><p>"Of course, your nuisance of a fiancé proved to be too much for them, so I was forced to create a new minion. Deka-Mido, the giant lizard, if you recall. This time, since it was a conscious effort, I spent more effort creating him, molding him more closely to the creature which he was based upon. When he was finally finished, I found he was more powerful than any of my other minions, <em>all</em> my other minions. His power surprised even me."</p><p>He relished the shocked and intrigued look that dwelled upon his captive’s face. Despite how much she hated him, he <em>knew </em>she was captivated with his explanation. Of course, the memory of that battle caused his liquid smile to drop into a simmering sneer.</p><p>"I'm certain you remember what happened soon after that battle."</p><p>An angry nod, causing his smile to make a triumphant return.</p><p>"In a way, it was partly due to our conversation that I determined the truth. You see, after I left you, I spent an entire <em>day</em> trying to best determine how I would destroy Saotome. I wanted to do something <em>original</em>, you see, just as we discussed. However, when I tried to create a creature of my own imagination, one perfectly suited to dispatch your love... <em>it had no power</em>! Certainly, my beasts looked the part, horrors to freeze the soul... but they were empty inside. There was nothing to fuel them, nothing to give them strength..."</p><p>It had been a harsh realization for him, and painful as well. For an artist to realize that his own work was without merit, without use... He could create, but his creations were nothing more than smoke and mirrors, sound, and fury, signifying nothing.</p><p>"I could not understand it, at first. I could create people, things, monsters, robots and aliens, anything I desired, and it was all real, all just as I imagined they would be... but only if I copied them from someone else! My original work, the sleek, elegant killer, designed solely for the purpose of slaughtering your fiancé... was completely impotent; yet the silly little caricature of Astroboy that had become Mecha-Boi, it could <em>tear</em> steel and <em>melt </em>flesh with the greatest of ease. Anything I created that was a copy, it possessed power, and the closer to the original, the more power it possessed."</p><p>Akane nodded slowly, understanding beginning to dawn. "That's why source material is your power... but why, it doesn't make any sense."</p><p>Brushogun frowned at that. He had thought she was a sharper girl than that, he was almost certain that she would have figured it out by now. Sure, it had taken him a few days, but still, he was practically spelling it out for her.</p><p>"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My dear, foolish girl. How can you say it doesn't make any sense? It makes perfect sense. You see, when I say that my power is derived from 'source material' I don't mean it in a literal sense. I'm not carrying a stack of manga in my pocket to draw on their power, or anything as silly as that. I am a demon, after all, you really need to look at this from a more esoteric point of view," he chided her teasingly.</p><p>The Tendo girl seemed to gaze of into space, contemplating what he had just told her. He had to admit, he certainly hoped she got it soon, he was missing too much of the fight! He might have to just tell her, and what fun was that?</p><p>"B... belief...," she muttered quietly to herself.</p><p>A smile exploded onto his face, nearly splitting it in half. Finally!</p><p>"Exactly! I knew someone so interested in drama and literature as yourself would figure it out! The things I create aren't born from my power, but from the power of peoples' beliefs. If I were to create a samurai right now, it would <em>be</em> a samurai in every way, because people <em>know </em>what a samurai is, what a samurai <em>represents.</em> A samurai is not just a swordsman, it is an icon, people around the world know what a samurai could and should be able to do."</p><p>The wide-eyed expression on his companion's face was quite entertaining. It seemed that she was beginning to understand just what kind of predicament that her fiancé was in.</p><p>"But wait a moment! Doesn't that mean, that if Ranma realizes that those aren't actually those characters, that they'll lose their power?" she asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.</p><p>It was all he could do to hold in his mocking laughter... not that he was sure why he did in retrospect. She just didn't understand, yet.</p><p>"A thousand years ago, when I was created from the fledgling imaginations of mere mortals, that might have been possible. But you do not <em>grasp</em> the magnitude of my power in this new world! In the old world, I roamed Japan, with only the thoughts and imaginations of a scant few hundred people to sustain me. <em>Here... now</em>, in this wonderful, digital world, with its satellite television and cable internet, with its global economy and international distribution; heh, heh, heh, the world has become such a small place, but <em>so very </em>many people live in it!</p><p>"A thousand years ago, I was nothing, a minor demon creating piddling creatures and pathetic men to do my biddings. But, in <em>this</em> world, I am a <em>God</em>! Man's imagination has grown so much, his need to entertain himself, swollen beyond belief. No, no, my dear Akane, even if your precious Saotome stopped believing in his enemies all together, there are still <em>millions</em> of people around the globe that still do!" Brushogun laughed madly in his joy. Perhaps now she would begin to understand just how hopeless her fiancé's situation was. Even now, his power was only increasing, as the foolish reporters above broadcast his message, <em>live</em>, to the four corners of the globe. Soon, as the entire planet continued to feed his power with their awe and fear, there would be none left with the power to stop him. No one at all.</p><p>He closed his eyes once more, and let his vision rise to the heavens once more.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kurumi didn't know what to do! She'd done just like her big sister had told her to do. She'd managed to make it all the way to the thirtieth floor before she even bothered to look back down. So, it was already far too late for her to do anything when she finally did!</p><p>For some reason, the metal beast was relentlessly attacking Natsume. Her sister was unable to even make it past the tenth floor, so busy dodging the monster's wild swings.</p><p>The giant robot swung again, it's frighteningly glowing dagger leading the way. It was a wide swing, probably trying to limit her sister's ability to dodge. Fortunately, Natsume proved to be just slightly faster. Her sister leapt nimbly up to the eleventh floor, even as the robot's humongous arm smashed fully into the wall of the tower. Kurumi gawked at the sheer power of the beast, as its swinging limb just continued, practically unimpeded, before tearing a seventy-foot swath out of the front of the tower's face.</p><p>Rather frantically, her sister began to sprint for the far end of the tower, easily keeping balance on the narrow ledge that would scarcely have provided a toehold for any normal person. A moment later, she lost sight of her sister, as Natsume slipped around the corner. The beast followed soon after, though, swinging wildly to catch her.</p><p>Kurumi chewed on the end of her ribbon in worry, even as she used her free hand to brace herself as the entire building shuddered under another blow from the metal giant. Why didn't her sister just jump up and climb to a higher level? That was the whole point of this plan, wasn't it? To get out of its reach by climbing to the top of this tall building.</p><p>The building shuddered again, even more fiercely this time. It was obvious that this huge, ugly monster didn't care what it destroyed, if it got them. Once again, she wished they had got to fight the other girl instead. She felt so <em>helpless</em> fighting this giant robot, didn't even have a clue how she could scratch it, let alone beat it. If only she could be as calm and confident as her sister, instead of sniffling into her ribbon as she watched her sister vainly run for her life-</p><p>Speak of the devil! Her sister just reappeared around the corner. There was no way that she could see her face from nearly twenty stories away, but she could practically feel the nervous energy boiling off her elder sister. Natsume was running along the twelfth floor this time since most of the three floors below that were completely destroyed by the monster's wild swings by now.</p><p>Why wasn't she fleeing to a higher, safer floor now? Kurumi didn't understand! A few seconds later, she was shocked as a massive purple hand suddenly exploded out through the wall of the twelfth floor, wiping out pretty much everything from the corner to halfway through the face of the tower. Hundreds of chairs and desks and rubbish bins, and one or two Xerox machines, all were swept out into a freefall. The rain of office supplies tumbled down in a waterfall of insurance claims to the ground below. A moment later, the monster appeared, still buried up to its shoulder in the tower.</p><p>Kurumi couldn't take it anymore. Cupping her hands to the sides of her mouth, she shouted as loud as she could.</p><p>"<em>Big Sister, get out of there!"</em></p><p>Why wasn't she getting out of there? Not that there was any possible way that Natsume could hear her, between the distance and the devastation...</p><p>Except, that she did!</p><p>For just a moment, Natsume caught her eyes and their gazes locked... just for a moment. But it was long enough, in that instant, though she had no idea how, she suddenly understood perfectly! She <em>knew</em> what her sister's plan was! She <strong><em>knew</em></strong>! And all it did was make her want to scream out again!</p><p>So, she did... but her words were completely drowned out as the world was suddenly engulfed by the sound of hundreds of thousands of tons of steel and concrete <em>groaning</em>! Kurumi lashed out without even thinking, burying her hand into the concrete wall behind her. It was the only thing that stopped her from falling, as suddenly the entire building shifted wildly under her feet.</p><p>She watched her sister in horror, screaming at the top of her lungs, but not even able to hear herself. Though there was no way she should have been able to see it from where she was, she saw the resigned smile on Natsume's face as she looked back up at her.</p><p>Then the entire west tower tipped dangerously to the side! The giant robot was pinned instantly, as forty stories of office building suddenly dropped down onto its arm. It tried desperately to pull itself free, but then, in a hellish storm of expanding dust and debris, the entire west tower began to collapse down on its head. Kurumi lost sight of her sister instantly, as the tower tore angrily away from the connecting structure between the two towers. The rumbling and shaking of the far tower collapsing and freeing itself from the bonds of its twin very nearly dislodged her from her thirty-story perch a dozen times in thirty seconds.</p><p>Somehow, she held on, though, watching every second of the collapse. Everything below the fifteenth story vanished into the expanding cloud of dust and shrapnel. The forty stories collapsed in on themselves like a huge accordion, forty becoming thirty, then twenty, forming a literal mountain of rubble and destruction on the west side of the building.</p><p>Finally, after a seeming eternity... it was finished. Miraculously, the tower on which she was clinging desperately, was unharmed. The connecting structure that had run between the two towers was half buried and subsumed by the collapsed remains of the west tower. And where that tower had once stood so proudly, now a twenty-story mountain of devastation existed. The destruction had also spread out to consume a somewhat smaller skyscraper that had been directly adjacent to the towering towers.</p><p>None of that mattered in the slightest...</p><p>Forgetting about safety completely, she started to scale down the tower as quickly as she could. As soon as she made it to the connecting structure, she jumped recklessly onto its roof and scurried across to the remains of the other tower. Several long minutes and a lot of leaping around finally brought her to the top of the mountain that was the ruined remains of a once proud tower.</p><p>She looked around for several moments, at a total loss about what to do. As much as she hated to think it... she couldn't imagine any way that her sister could have gotten out of there before the tower collapsed...</p><p>Tears sprang to her eyes, unbidden, and she did nothing to hide them.</p><p>"N... Natsume...," she called out uncertainly.</p><p>It was silly, really, impossible even... but she could hardly care about something like that right then.</p><p>"<em>Natsume!</em>" she cried again.</p><p>Frantically, she leapt to a lower pile of rubble and started tossing slabs of concrete twice her size to the side, searching for any sign of her sister.</p><p>"<em>Sister, where are you?</em>"</p><p>She leapt again, dislodging more pieces of debris only to begin digging elsewhere. She didn't even notice as a jagged piece of shattered glass cut into her palm, spraying her blood all over the place. She hardly even cared when she slipped on an unstable piece of concrete and rolled twenty feet before catching herself. All she did was get up again, ignoring the scraps and bruises that were already forming under her ruined uniform.</p><p>"<em>Natsume</em>!"</p><p>Movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her instantly. There! A hundred yards away, a pile of rubble was shifting! Sure, it could have just been the building settling... but she just <em>knew</em> it was her! There was no way that her sister would die as easily as all that!</p><p>Faster than she had ever moved before, she nearly flew through the distance and dug her raw and bleeding hands back into the filthy debris and started to dig her sister out.</p><p>"Natsume! Don't worry, I'm here!"</p><p>She rolled another piece of rubble off to the side, letting it roll merrily down the mountain side. Again, the rubble shifted before her, making her heartbeat faster in her chest.</p><p>"I’m almost there don't give up, sister!" she called out again. Not that she had to worry about that, her sister never gave up!</p><p>More pieces of the collapsed building went flying as she dug desperately towards her sister. A chair, a desk, more pieces of shattered glass and what appeared to be a coffee maker, all tossed aside without even a second thought!</p><p>Yes! She finally saw something! Something that didn't look like more debris! She reached forward again, to grab the next piece of rubble-</p><p>"What? That's impos-"</p><p>She never got to finish her sentence, as the giant purple hand exploded out of the rubble.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Sailor Saturn looked up once more, a tiny frown adorning her lips.</p><p>Hanging in the air above her, were the two Youma, still alive and even smiling mockingly at her. All around her was complete devastation. Buildings were destroyed, by both herself and her enemies. Several ships out in the bay were sinking and several warehouses were merrily burning bonfires in a testament to the lightning Youma's power.</p><p>It wasn't that she was at all worried. As tenacious as these two beings were, they simply lacked the power to harm her. The same could not be said of their surroundings, though, or any of the other innocents that populated this city. She had to admit they were both very quick, using both their speed and distance to avoid her attacks. But that wasn't what was bothering her either.</p><p>It was the fact that they were <em>enjoying </em>this.</p><p>The smaller one especially, the smile on his face was almost frightening in its intensity. She had thought she had demoralized them instantly with her first attack, considering how shaken up both had been. Especially considering she had turned aside their combined power with no real effort. Except she hadn't... rather than panic and flee, making it easier for her to finish them off, they had begun attacking her again almost immediately. Instead of trying to overwhelm her, they were probing her defenses now, flying circles around her and launching attacks at her from every possible angle.</p><p>Again, it was nothing to worry about, her Silence Wall protected her perfectly, but their persistence was troublesome. If only the other scouts were here as well! She was sure they would be able to pin these two troublesome Youma down easily if there were more than just her present.</p><p>She stopped suddenly, an alien thought implanting itself directly to the core of her being.</p><p>Yes... that made sense. If she couldn't destroy them with her Silence Glaive Surprise, she would simply have to use something more powerful, something they couldn't dodge.</p><p>A silly smile formed on her lips. Why hadn't she thought of that before? It made perfect sense, really. She couldn't let these two monsters harm anymore innocent people, she <em>had </em>to stop them here and now.</p><p>Another blast of thunder skipped harmlessly off her indestructible wall. She didn't even pay it the slightest heed. Smiling wider now, proud of her ingenious thinking, she raised her Glaive high above her.</p><p>She began to twirl in place, the blade of her weapon glowing with a brilliant purple light as she did. On her first spin, she noticed her opponents stop in mid-flight and stare at her uncertainly.</p><p>"Death...," she whispered quietly.</p><p>She twirled around again, the weapon's glow increasing several fold. In the distance, she could see thousands of purple ribbons winding through the air, flying towards her, filling the air with their elegant beauty. On her second rotation, she noticed to two Youma leaning towards each other, likely discussing what was happening. It hardly mattered, the fight would be over soon, it would <em>all </em>be over soon.</p><p>"<em>Reborn</em>. . .," she called out with more force.</p><p>She spun around one last time, bringing her weapon back slightly as she prepared to slam it back to the earth with all the power of the <em>Silence</em> behind it. There would be no avoiding this, and then there would be nothing at all. All around her, the ribbons drew closer, within seconds they would reach her, and then she would finish it all.</p><p>On her third spin... she didn't see the two Youma at all. They were obviously trying to flee; they didn't know how hopeless their cause was.</p><p>"<strong><em>Revolution</em></strong>!"</p><p>And then <em>everything...</em></p><p>
  <em>Went...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>White.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It was the H.I.V.E. Academy all over again!</p><p>The raging dragon of the Hiryua Shoten Ha soared triumphantly into the night's sky, restrained by no such feeble human concepts as physics, gravity, or reason. It was a vivid flashback to that fateful night, no, almost a nightmare of a past life. His ultimate attack once again blossoming beyond any possibility of control, there were only two differences this time: this tornado was glowing a pale blue... and this tornado was forming right in the heart of downtown Tokyo!</p><p>The howling winds at the base of the cyclone tore into buildings on both sides of the streets, first one business complex, then three, and then five... all doubled! It was already wider than the Jump City cyclone, and that one was being fed by the power of <em>three</em> exceptionally powerful ki adepts (or whatever Starfire counted as). This one was only being fed by his opponent's power! Hell, he'd leapt back out of the killing zone as soon as he'd landed the finishing move.</p><p>Strangely, as he desperately clung to a groaning lamp post over two blocks away, he'd been expecting a little more.</p><p>In the sky above him, the four news helicopters that had decided to follow his little battle were desperately trying to avoid the twisting, undulating column of eerily glowing wind. Two of the machines nearly collided head on, as the wildly powerful winds created by the Hiryua Shoten Ha made flying in any kind of controlled manner nearly impossible. One of the smarter pilots, in a white chopper, looked like he was trying to land on a rooftop further out.</p><p>Then, without warning, the base of the massive wind funnel suddenly doubled in size, bulging out obscenely. Blinding rays of blue tinted light cut through the walls of the tornado, suddenly, hinting at the maelstrom that his self-made maelstrom was now struggling to contain. The pigtailed fighter could only watch in awe as the twisting winds of the Hiryua Shoten Ha desperately battled to hold in the power of the Saiyan. He'd never seen <em>anything </em>like it in his life!</p><p>And then the Hiryua Shoten Ha <em>exploded</em>! It started at the base, the foundation of the towering tornado burst open in an orgy of destruction and property damage. Like any structure, the loss of its base caused a chain reaction, traveling up the entire length of the cyclone; first it swelled obscenely for a moment, as if some angry god was sucking some oversized morsel up a straw, then burst apart in a flash of cerulean light!</p><p>Everything after that was obscured by massive clouds of dust and debris, both from the explosion itself and from the contents of the dragon's stomach raining back down to the Earth. Slowly, Ranma lowered himself back to the ground, watching the massive clouds of dust nervously. <em>Everyone </em>knew what it meant when there was a giant dust cloud in Dragon Ball. No matter how insane the attack, or how powerful the fighter, or how impossible it was... if there was a dust cloud there...</p><p>It meant that his opponent was gonna be standing there when it finally cleared.</p><p>It started slowly, as the powerful downdraft provided by the circling helicopters began to displace the polluted air. If it weren't for the fact that it had been <em>his </em>attack, he'd say that the dust cloud was being intentionally overly dramatic.</p><p>So, he leaned his back against the lamp post, taking a moment to clear his mind and catch his breath. He was sure that Goku wasn't the type of guy to ruin a perfectly good dramatic reveal by rushing out to attack, so that meant he had a minute or two to recover. Idly, Ranma looked down, an odd sensation drawing his attention. What he saw puzzled him slightly...</p><p>His hands were shaking...</p><p>Whether from exhaustion, terror, or excitement, he just couldn't tell anymore. To be perfectly honest, his fight hadn't been at all taxing yet, just completely ineffectual, but he felt more emotionally drained than he could remember. Damn, he knew what it was: he was psyching himself out! The damn Saiyan hadn't even lifted a finger against him yet, either. It was embarrassing!</p><p>He gripped his thighs tightly, willing his fingers to stop trembling, forcing his breathing to slow down. He just had to remember that this wasn't the real Goku. By definition it couldn't be, because Goku was a fictional character. Sure, he was super strong and fast and powerful... but none of that mattered, right? If it wasn't really <em>Goku</em>. Whatever it was he was fighting, it was a creation, a copy, a cheap knock off. He had no idea how the hell Brushogun had done it, but that didn't matter either.</p><p>The heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling took one last, calming breath, before pushing himself to his full height. He wasn't going to lose here, not to a copy and not when Akane was counting on him. Placing one foot in front of the other, he began to walk back to ground zero.</p><p>Before him, the dust cloud was finally blown away. As he'd fully expected, it revealed the form of Goku, hunched forward slightly, shirt torn and hair mussed, but looking not much the worse for wear. As if he'd been waiting for the dust to clear before reacting, Goku finally straightened to his full height as well. Amazingly, though it looked like the Saiyan warrior had felt that attack, there was a wide smile on his face.</p><p>Actually, it wasn't really that surprising; Saiyans were masochistic freaks after all.</p><p>Nice to know that he'd amused the guy at least. Man, where was Ukyou when you needed someone called a Jackass? Well, he wasn't an idiot, he knew he wouldn't be able to beat his enemy as things stood, but that's why he was a martial arts genius, he'd just have to think outside the box.</p><p>"Well, let's get this over with," he stated loudly when he finally got within a dozen yards. He then stood his ground, planting his fists on his hips.</p><p>The alien fighter looked at him oddly for a moment, before shrugging it off. "Alight then, if that's what you want." Goku then dropped down into a low, familiar stance. His opponent slowly brought both hands up to his right side, cupping them tightly as if he were holding a small melon.</p><p>"Kame..."</p><p>A tiny speck of light formed directly between the palms of his cupped hands. Almost immediately, a gentle wind blasted outward, away from Goku, sweeping dust and small pieces of asphalt with it.</p><p>Ranma held his ground, staring seriously at the would-be-Goku, even as the weak wind tousled his hair.</p><p>"Hame..."</p><p>The speck suddenly expanded into a glowing blue sphere that filled the Saiyan's hands completely. The swirling orb of ki danced merrily, ghostly arcs of spiritual energy making it look very much like a cerulean sun surrounded by solar flares.</p><p>Ranma held his ground, though a single drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face...</p><p>"... H-"</p><p>"<em>Stop</em>!"</p><p>Ranma smirked inwardly as the distraction technique of the Yamasen-ken worked perfectly... um, not that he would ever use the Yamasen-ken... what with his father never technically unsealing it or giving him permission to use it or anything... yeah.</p><p>Goku nearly choked on the final syllable of his attack, arms half extended, even the orb of ki had stopped swirling, as if it were shocked as well. The Saiyan glared at him from across the way.</p><p>"<em>Would you quit doing that</em>? What could you possibly want now? You've proved you're actually a minor threat, what more do you want?" asked the incredibly frustrated alien.</p><p>There was not a trace of humor in Ranma's voice when he answered this time. He glared right back at his opponent, a disappointed look in his eyes.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing?"</p><p>Goku looked taken aback by his rather frank question, straightening slightly. Half confused, half abashed, the Saiyan looked around haltingly. "Um... well, we're kind of enemies here, sooo, I thought I'd just blast you and get this over with, just like you said..."</p><p>Ranma's harsh stare only intensified.</p><p>"So, you're a murderer then, is that what yer sayin'?" he asked pointedly.</p><p>This time, Goku glared back.</p><p>"Hey now! We're enemies, you just tried to kill me, too."</p><p>The Saotome heir grunted loudly.</p><p>"I'm not talkin' bout me, genius! I'm talkin' 'bout all the people <em>behind </em>me!" He gestured grandly to the vast city that stood at his back.</p><p>His enemy didn't quite seem to understand his point, considering his eloquent response.</p><p>"Hunh?"</p><p>"Just what the heck do ya think would happen if you fired that ki attack at me?" he asked in all seriousness.</p><p>Goku shrugged slightly. "Well, you'd probably try to dodge it, but you'd fail. It'd hit you and the fight would be over. That is what we're doing here, isn't it?"</p><p>This time, Ranma rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yer jokin', right? <em>You </em>told me how <em>weak</em> I am," he struggled mightily to spit out the word 'weak', "If you fired that thing off in my direction, it'd blast me to atoms without even <em>missing a beat</em>! Then where do ya think it would go? It'd tear through this city like tissue paper, and the city beyond that and the one beyond that. This island is one of the most densely populated places on the planet; <em>do you have any idea how many million people you'd kill</em>?"</p><p>And that didn't even count the possibility that Goku could be facing the mainland. What if the Kamehameha cut across the Sea and landed somewhere in China? Even if this Goku was at one percent of his full power, that just dropped him from a planet smasher to a city smasher. Gods, how the hell did Brushogun pull this off?</p><p>With surprising swiftness, the Kamehameha sphere dispersed into a harmless cloud of colored ki. It appeared his words had had a rather impressive impact. Goku suddenly began looking around, as if only just seeing the world around him that very moment. A horrified expression began to settle on the Saiyan's face, like watching a glacier flow down a mountain.</p><p>"My God... y-you're right... What was I <em>thinking</em>, why didn't I <em>see</em> that?" The noble alien looked at his hands, likely unable to recognize the trembling collection of digits that hung in the air before his face. Goku then looked up, staring at him in incomprehension. "Why would I even use that on you? It was completely unnecessary, I mean, you're so <em>unbelievably </em>weak..."</p><p>Ranma winced (and hard) at that but tried to remember the source. "Exactly, don't ya think that there's something a little <em>weird</em> with this whole situation? Don't you think it's a bit <em>odd</em> that <em>you</em> would need to come here personally to stop someone as weak as me? I mean, <em>you've</em> already destroyed more of the city by just standing there, then I could going full out for a <em>week</em>."</p><p>Okay, so technically, it had been <em>him</em> that had destroyed the city, but there was no way he could have gotten the Hiryua Shoten Ha that big without hooking it up to a nuclear reactor... So, in his book, that definitely made it Goku's fault.</p><p>His befuddled opponent gazed back at him, gingerly rubbing a hand through his overly spiky anime hair. Unfortunately, Ranma wouldn't get to hear whatever the repentant looking alien was going to say-</p><p>Because a massive bolt of <em>lightning </em>suddenly crashed into Goku's chest, blasting him bodily back down the street!</p><p>Ranma nearly choked on his own tongue in shock! He spun around, glaring <em>balefully </em>at the pair of colorful youths that alighted on the ground behind him. Lightning turned to face his larger brother, Thunder. "A magnificent shot, do you not think, brother?"</p><p>Thunder just nodded, smiling happily. "Indeed, my brother. It appears that we have arrived just in time as well."</p><p>The master martial artist heard his knuckles pop in rapid succession as he curled his fingers into pale white fists. He could only watch morbidly as the two idiots patted each other on the back over a job well done.</p><p>
  <em>"What are you idiots doing?"</em>
</p><p>His companions looked at him oddly, obviously confused by his rather less than cordial salutation. Thunder stepped forward, a little tentatively.</p><p>"We have come to help you. Yours was the only battle we could quickly identify after we dealt with our opponent, so we made great haste to render our assistance to you."</p><p>Ranma refrained from growling audibly, there was no way that they could have known what he was trying to do. Of course, that didn't change the fact that they were completely boned now... With resigned dignity, he turned back down the street... to where Goku was regaining his feet.</p><p>The Saiyan no longer looked nearly as sympathetic or apologetic for his actions.</p><p>A sigh escaped the pigtailed boy's weathered lips. It was the story of his life, and all the <em>helpful</em> people in it... one step forward, two steps back. He'd have to make sure that, in the highly unlikely event they survived the night, that he explained to his <em>saviors</em> just how <em>appreciative </em>he was for their help.</p><p>"... so gonna kill those guys..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane was far too shocked to continue the verbal sparring with her vile captor. All around her, the sounds of battle had been raging for untold minutes. To the Far East, the sky was being lit with flashes of lightning and even from the distance (three steamboats by her count) the thunder that followed each stroke had still rattled her bones. Somewhere behind her, much closer, the sound of mass demolition filled the air, great plumes of debris and dust filling the air as it sounded like complete buildings were being torn apart. Off to the west, a familiar tornado surged into the sky, larger than any she had ever seen before, only to burst open in a brilliant flash of cerulean light. Most telling, though, was the sight that had occurred right before her eyes, the impossible sight of half of the Metropolitan Government Building collapsing into a mountain of rubble!</p><p>What in the world was happening out there?</p><p>She refused to give her captor the satisfaction of asking just what the hell was going on. He had long since vanished into whatever trance allowed him to watch all the battles simultaneously, and she had no real desire to speak to him further...</p><p>At least until Ryu suddenly arrived...</p><p>Or, more to the point, until Ryu was dropped before the feet of Brushogun by Tetsuo, like a cat presenting its kill to its master. She was still being held above the ground, unable to do anything, but even from her position, she could tell the young man was still breathing. Thank the gods for small miracles and all that. Unfortunately, he was in no condition to be doing any rescuing that was certain.</p><p>Several tense minutes later, the earth started to tremble as Unit One returned from digging itself out of the collapsed tower. Sadly, her sister's clever plan had been completely futile. If they were lucky, though, they could have escaped while it had been buried. There was no way that Akane could tell what had happened after the robot had started to smash the tower, as the debris instantly obfuscated the battleground.</p><p>Surprisingly, of his own accord, Brushogun slipped out of his trance, blinking rapidly for several moments. It seemed that her would be executioner was eagerly awaiting the approach of the giant purple mecha. Speaking of which, something had been confusing her...</p><p>"Hey. How did you get such a spineless wimp as Shinji to attack two defenseless young girls? I mean, Tetsuo I can understand completely, but Shinji?"</p><p>Brushogun just shrugged, jostling her slightly. Then, without even glancing her way, answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p>"Dummy plug."</p><p>The youngest of the true Tendo sisters blinked... twice. Ahhh, well, that explained everything.</p><p>Then Unit One was before them. It dropped to a titanic knee, as if bowing to its miniscule master. It was a very odd scene for Akane to take in, which was saying a lot considering her life up to that point. She felt herself holding in a breath, as she desperately hoped that Natsume and Kurumi had, indeed, escaped. Her hope began to die quickly, though, as the metallic beast slowly lowered a loose fist down to the ground before them. It then unfurled the great fist, revealing the two figures that were contained within.</p><p>Akane let out an anguished gasp!</p><p>It was worse than she had imagined. Natsume and Kurumi were both there, but there was so much blood that she couldn't imagine they were still alive! Both girls looked like they were on the ground floor when the tower had collapsed; they were so covered with filth, bruises, and blood. It was a minor miracle that their clothes still preserved even a shred of modesty, having been nearly shredded in the ordeal.</p><p>Her tears didn't even register until they dripped wetly onto her hands, which were tightly clasped over her mouth in shock. It couldn't be, they couldn't have all come this far just to... just to...</p><p>"Don't worry, my dear. They aren't dead... yet," stated her malicious companion. She turned to stare at him, confusion on her face. He rolled his eyes in amusement. "Don't go getting any silly notions, little girl. I'm not sparing your friends, merely collecting them for the grand finale. Once your loving fiancé arrives, then we can finally bring this story to its proper close."</p><p>Brushogun then looked to the west, in the general direction of where the tornado had surged to life and died with equal ferocity just minutes earlier. A far away look entered the demon's eyes for a moment before he turned to regard her once more. The vitriolic smile that graced the demon's slick skull only widened.</p><p>"Yes, it's only a matter of time now, the final three will be joining us shortly."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Goku backhanded his pigtailed opponent, launching the boy thirty feet through the air to smash through a concrete building front. Without missing a beat, he then ducked under a blue beam of coherent sound and spun, quickly lifting his leg into the air to land a heel kick to the shoulder of the pale haired boy that was trying to sneak up behind him. The kick landed home with enough force to nearly bury the poor guy in the pavement, thankfully the little guy was tougher than he looked.</p><p>The Saiyan warrior then leapt into the air and pointed a single finger at the large youth that had kept his distance. The blue tinted boy cupped both of his hands at his side in a familiar pose, a sphere of energy gathering between the palms. Hmm, interesting, that. Deciding to be a little sporting, he let the kid fire off the blast.</p><p>Another lance of azure light filled the air, arrowing straight in his direction. Hmm, the blue guy didn't yell out an attack or anything. Shrugging at the small details, Goku simply gathered a tiny bit of energy at the tip of his finger and fired it back at his armored opponent.</p><p>In an unimpressive display, rather than meet the brilliantly glowing azure beam head on, and erupt into an epic struggle of sheer willpower, his beam drilled straight down the entire length of his enemy's attack without even slowing. The young man barely had time to dive to the side as the pencil thin ray of cerulean energy shredded his entire attack and nearly lanced straight through his torso. As it was, the boy landed roughly on his side, breaths coming in ragged gasps and his eyes wide with shock.</p><p>The fight (if you could even call it that) had only been going on for about a minute, but Goku was starting to get that strange feeling again that something wasn't right. He berated himself, now, for letting someone get the drop on him in such an embarrassing manner. However, he also had to admit that, while the pale kid's ki attack had been much more powerful than the pigtailed kid's, it still wasn't anything for him to be worried about.</p><p>So, why was he fighting these people again?</p><p>He landed gently on the ground, then casually slid his right foot back, angling his body out of the way of a flying kick. A backhand was launched at him even before the kick had missed, which he easily leaned back to avoid as well. Then the red shirted youth's toe touched the ground, which seemed to be more than enough contact for the boy to suddenly corkscrew in midair and launch an awkwardly angled kick that the Saiyan was forced to jump back to avoid.</p><p>A second later, the younger martial artist was in his face again, launching not just lightning-fast punches, but a brilliantly strung together series of attacks that would have been all but impossible for Goku to follow if he weren't so much faster. The sheer variety of attacks was staggering, and the boy used feints within feints within feints. There were several times that he nearly fell into one of his opponent's traps, despite outclassing him completely.</p><p>Then they both broke off, as another bolt of thunder tore through the air where they had both been standing a second earlier. He nearly chuckled at how his opponent had very nearly corralled him into a perfectly set up sneak attack. The boy wasn't just trying to beat him up; he was trying to manufacture openings for his allies to attack at the same time. It was quite impressive, showing not only remarkable skill, but also a keen mind for tactics and strategy.</p><p>He felt a small smile quirk up the corner of his mouth.</p><p>He wished that he had met this kid twenty years ago! How differently would this fight be unfolding then? Or even better, if this kid had been a Saiyan himself! The idea of someone so skilled with that kind of power? It sent a tingle down his spine.</p><p>Oop, he noticed that he was blocking the pigtailed boy's attacks by instinct alone while he'd been thinking. Off to the side, the larger youth was pulling the pale skinned boy out of the crater he'd been buried in. The lightning haired kid was still conscious, impressive, and shaking his head furiously. It looked like they'd all be back in the fight soon.</p><p>An angry snarl brought his attention back to his current opponent. Judging by the look on the kid's face, he'd realized that Goku hadn't been paying him much attention lately. His blocking was rather haphazard and now that he was focusing on his fight again, he noticed that a few of his enemy's attacks had landed home... not that they'd hurt or anything, but it was still impressive. Still smiling weakly, he nodded to the pigtailed youth.</p><p>"I must admit, you are better than me," he cheerfully admitted to his young enemy.</p><p>He was completely shocked, however, when instead of chuckling or making witty banter, the pigtailed boy let out an inarticulate howl of rage! The inarticulate howl was followed by a most articulate one.</p><p>"<strong><em>Mouko Takabisha</em></strong><em>!"</em></p><p>Goku crossed his arms as the point blank ki blast washed over him and pushed him back several feet. Before the wash of ki even subsided, a fist was already tearing through it, middle knuckle extended and leading the way directly for his eye! The Saiyan warrior let out an undignified squeak as the vicious attack nearly rammed into his eye socket. Not that it would have hurt, but, man, it was still a shock!</p><p>"<em>Shut up!</em>" yelled the pigtailed warrior furiously. "I'm <em>through</em> playing with you! I don't care if you <em>are</em> freakin' Goku!" The boy resumed his attack, a pale golden aura beginning to form around him. "Your <em>master</em> has my <em>fiancée</em> and if I don't get back there, he's gonna <em>kill her</em>!" his voice cracked painfully at the admission.</p><p>The Saiyan's eyes shot wide open at that. Suddenly he found himself backpedaling from the furious assault, more out of shock than fear. What had the kid meant by that? Why was this situation so familiar? He looked around at the three children that were surrounding him now. The pale youth, staggering weakly and cradling his right arm after Goku's kick, but still standing, still determined to defeat him. The larger boy, keeping a worried eye on his companion, but also circling around for an angle of attack. The look on his face seemed to say that he knew this was a fight that they couldn't win, and yet they continued to struggle.</p><p>That <em>wasn't</em> what villains did!</p><p>And the pigtailed boy before him, pain etched onto his features, both physical and emotional. The boy <em>knew </em>who he was, knew <em>what</em> he was. This boy knew that he had absolutely <em>no</em> chance at victory, but still came at him with everything he had.</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"I'm not gonna let Akane down! I don't care if you're stronger than me! I don't care if you're a <em>thousand </em>times stronger, a <em>million</em>times stronger! I <em>won't let you <strong>win</strong></em>!"</p><p>Something odd was happening to the pigtailed warrior's aura... it was getting... <em>heavier</em>...</p><p>"If I lose here, then Akane'll die... Natsume and Kurumi are probably already dead, Ryu too..." The kid suddenly stopped his attack, mumbling quietly, almost to himself. "There's no way I <em>can </em>win... I'll die here and everyone in the city will die because I was so <em>weak</em>, so <em>pathetic</em>..."</p><p>Goku stood perfectly still, looking oddly at his enemy. What was going on? Where had all the guy's spirit gone? It was like he'd just given up, just accepted his fate. It seemed so unlike the boy...</p><p>And his aura was getting even stranger, the very flavor of it seemed to be changing, becoming... less palatable. There seemed to be some kind of buildup of ki, but it didn't seem like an attack of any kind, the boy wasn't focusing it at all, just kind of stewing in his own juices. The boy was looking at his own hands now, a deeply melancholy expression on his face.</p><p>"I-I'll never get the chance to tell her..."</p><p>Suddenly the weight of the boy's ki seemed to double instantly. How was he doing that? What was he doing, for that matter?</p><p>Spiraling... that's what it reminded him of! It was like the boy's ki was spiraling downward, but that didn't really make any sense whatsoever.</p><p>More importantly, why did this young villain seem to believe that he, and all the people of the city, would die if he lost this fight? Why was he so determined to fight even though he knew he couldn't win? What possible reason could he have to do something so incredibly <em>dumb</em>?</p><p>In an instant, everything clicked! Almost as if someone had turned a tumbler in his mind, he suddenly knew exactly what was going on. It was the most obvious thing in the world, something that <em>he </em>personally had had several lifetimes of experience with. He would have laughed if it weren't for the suicidal depression that his opponent seemed to have fallen into! There was only one reason that people would continually and relentlessly attempt to do something that seemed so crazy, insane, or just plain stupid...</p><p>Because it's the right thing to do.</p><p>It all made sense now, except that it didn't make sense at all. <em>He</em> was the villain here; the <em>boy </em>was the hero, desperately fighting to save his friends and his fiancée. It didn't make any sense, but he'd been in the boy's situation so often that it was impossible for him to miss it. Heck, how had he missed it up to that point to begin with? He'd so obviously out powered the boy since the very start of the fight, why had it taken him so long to realize that something was so fundamentally wrong here?</p><p>He continued to watch the pigtailed warrior. The young man had continued to mutter to himself, but Goku couldn't make out hardly anything that he was saying now. Whatever it was, the boy looked practically ready to end it all. Well, it was time to put a stop to this, there was no way that Son Goku was going to be the villain in <em>anyone's </em>story!</p><p>"Perfect S-"</p><p>"<em>Wait!</em>"</p><p>Goku smiled as his unexpected shout seemed to snap the boy out of the trance he had been in. The pigtailed boy looked up at him, half surprised, half angry as all heck.</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" barked the boy irately.</p><p>The alien warrior just smiled, his first genuine smile of the night.</p><p>"I -"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"- surrender."</p><p>It was said like it was the simplest thing in the world to understand.</p><p>Except that it wasn't! What the heck? Ranma felt his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets and his jaw practically unhinged itself in shock as he stared at the alien fighter. Fortunately, if there was one thing that Saotome Ranma was good at, it was adapting to his situation. So, he did the first thing that came to mind.</p><p>"Oh, thank the <em>gods</em>!" He dropped down to his haunches, breathing in huge gulps of air.</p><p>Thank the gods indeed! There was no way that he'd wanted to go through with that. He couldn't believe that he'd been desperate enough to even try it, but considering what he was up against, it was the only thing he could think of that made any sense at all. Genius or not, he didn't have any experience at all even attempting the powerful technique and it likely would have backfired spectacularly this first time...</p><p>"Wait a second! Why the heck are you surrendering?" he asked from his crouched position.</p><p>Goku just shrugged.</p><p>"Bad guys aren't usually known for their selflessness, and good guys don't usually attack people that are a lot weaker than themselves. I don't know what's going on, but it sure as heck seems like I'm in the wrong here."</p><p>Ranma considered that for a moment, before standing back up again. Suddenly a smile bloomed on his face. "Heh, you could be right. Of course, the only way to be sure is to go and ask Brushogun, just to make sure, ya know."</p><p>The spiky haired Z-fighter nodded, smiling agreeably. "I think you're right. Follow me, I think it's about time that I gave my two weeks notice." Suddenly the smile vanished, replaced by a deadly serious expression.</p><p>With that, Goku turned and started walking back the way they came.</p><p>The Saotome Heir just shrugged as well. Then he quickly wandered over to the very confused pair of elementals. They stared at him, questions on their faces, as he strolled over. Again, he simply shrugged.</p><p>"C'mon, guys, let's go get that bastard."</p><p>Thunder and Lightning stared at him oddly for a moment, turned to regard each other for a moment, then turned back to face him again. Then they both shrugged as well.</p><p>"Very well..."</p><p>"Let us be <em>off</em>!"</p><p>With that, the three of them started following Goku, walking and limping to various degrees. One last thought crossed Ranma's mind, though, before they got too far. Slowly, he turned to face his companions.</p><p>"So, who'd you guys fight, and how'd ya beat em?" he asked curiously.</p><p>Thunder looked to his brother quickly. Lightning nodded almost imperceptibly, continuing to walk forward. Thunder nodded slightly at the gesture, then turned back to him.</p><p>"We battled the oddly dressed young girl... as for how we prevailed..." For some reason, his noble companion wore a hint of blush on his already dark cheeks...</p><p>"It went something like this..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>Another blast of thunder skipped harmlessly off the Sailor girl's indestructible wall. She didn't even pay it the slightest heed. Not that that surprised Thunder in the least. Their opponent's defense had proved to be all but impenetrable to their power. If it weren't for the fact that her attacks were rather slow and predictable (despite being unbelievably massive!) he and his brother, both, would have been dead long ago. Something was different this time, though. Even from the distance, he could see a small smile form on the young woman's perfect lips... it was not a smile which instilled him with great confidence. She then raised her Glaive high above her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He prepared to vacate the area quickly, anticipating another attack... except no attack came...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rather, she began to twirl in place, the blade of her weapon glowing with a brilliant purple light as she did. It was a rather ponderous spin, and he could do nothing but stare at her in confusion. What in the world was she doing? His brother was similarly confounded.</em>
</p><p>"<em>... death..." The word drifted up to his ears, carried by favorable air currents.</em></p><p>
  <em>Well... that could hardly be a good thing. A flash of light filled his vision and suddenly his brother was at his side. The two of them stared down as the girl continued her slow spin.</em>
</p><p>"<em>W... what do you suppose she is doing, brother?" he asked quietly.</em></p><p>
  <em>His brother raised a finger and opened his mouth to respond... held the pose for a moment... then dropped his finger.</em>
</p><p>"<em>I honestly have no idea, brother."</em></p><p>
  <em>They continued to watch as the weapon's glow increased several fold. Oddly, in the distance, they could see thousands of... purple ribbons?... winding through the air, flying towards their opponent, and filling the air with their childish tackiness. The girl continued her spin, for a moment their eyes locked with hers as she looked up at them.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Reborn..." This time they could hear her voice clearly as she called out the word forcefully.</em></p><p>
  <em>Well... that word wasn't as bad as the first... He turned back to his brother.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Perhaps... perhaps it is an attack of some sort?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Lightning considered that for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, yes, that does seem likely."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thunder thought for another moment. "Well...," he began tenuously.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, what?"</em>
</p><p>"<em>Perhaps it would be best if we stopped her?"</em></p><p>
  <em>Lightning looked back at him, then to the twirling female once more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you certain?...it almost seems... rude..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Below them, the girl completed another revolution. This time bringing her weapon back slightly, as if preparing to slam the magnificently glowing blade of her weapon to the earth with all her gathered power behind it. All around them, the ribbons drew closer as well... it was slightly unnerving.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The spirit of thunder looked back to his brother. "Umm... I believe that it would be best if we <strong>did</strong> interfere... just this once..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lightning didn't look quite as sure. "Are you sure? Maybe we shou – "</em>
</p><p>"<em>Should what?"</em></p><p>"<em>No, no, forget what I just said."</em></p><p>"<em>Are you sure? What were you going to say?"</em></p><p>"<em>No, worry not, it was of no consequence..."</em></p><p>"<em>Really? It sounded like you had an idea-"</em></p><p>"<em>No, let us just get this over wi-"</em></p><p>"<strong><em>Revolution</em></strong><em>!" The cry split the air, being both terrifyingly loud and traumatically silent at the same time.</em></p><p>
  <em>The shout startled the elemental spirits from their rather tepid debate. As one, the two brothers locked gazes one last time, before launching forward at the speed of sound.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In the blink of an eye, they traversed the distance between them, one of them alighting to the ground at either side of the scantily clad young woman. As one, they both drew back their hands, gathering their power between their cupped palms. Azure blue and golden yellow light joined the strobing purple of their foe's glowing halberd. The girl began to swing her weapon forward, to slam it to the ground, but her attack slowed to a crawl as she suddenly realized something was amiss.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her weapon still well above her head... the girl slowly turned her lovely face to regard him, a most put out expression on her face as she witnessed the gathered power he held in his hands. She then slowly looked to her other side. Thunder had no doubt that the blinding light of his brother's lightning filled her world with dazzling white as she stared at the gathered energy he now wielded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a weak, apologetic shrug, they both pushed forward with all their might, unleashing the full power of the heavens unto the frail form of the slight female before them...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And then everything...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Went...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>White.</em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma blinked...</p><p>Twice.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun smiled as he watched his drama unfold. Everything was proceeding exactly as he'd planned. Perhaps even better than planned! In just a few scant minutes, the final players would arrive, with the reluctant hero. The Demon Lord of Ink quickly checked his surroundings, he wanted everything to be just so when they finally arrived.</p><p>Let us see... Giant robot standing menacingly behind him... excellent. Glowering psychic standing indignantly at his side, also good. The unconscious bodies of Saotome's fallen comrades artfully laid out before him, a nice touch, that.</p><p>A violently struggling damsel held in his clutches... that wouldn't do, not at all. How foolish would he look just standing there holding Saotome's fiancée in his hand? Something a little more artful was required. The demon considered his quandary for a moment before a perfect solution came to mind.</p><p>Leaning down carefully, he touched a single, jagged talon to the pavement at his side. Instantly, tiny trails of midnight black ink began to run in sharp lines away from his finger, gathering at a single point several yards to stage left. She was an important prop after all, couldn't have her outside of the scene. For a short moment, the black ink bubbled and boiled on that single spot, before it began to rise into the air, reaching hungrily towards the sky.</p><p>As the ink rose, the structure he had in mind began to form. The base first, a simple, square beam of reddish, rusted metal. It rose precisely seven feet, before branching out starkly. Even as the two rusted arms formed, the center continued to rise for several more feet. When all was said and done, a beautifully macabre cross stood in the night. Its jagged edges cried of pain; its rusted surface, the color of long dried blood, screamed of suffering. It was perfect... almost.</p><p>With a thought, he tilted it just a few degrees to the side...</p><p>Perfect!</p><p>Extremely happy with his latest piece of decor, he flowed over to it and held his captive up against its tetanus invoking surface.</p><p>"Hey! <em>Hey</em>! What do you think you're doi-"</p><p>He cut off her annoying chattering by slamming her head against the unforgiving metal of the cross. It produced a most entertaining gong sound that widened the already unnaturally wide smile on his face. He then held her to the restraint again, this time small tendrils of ink flowed out of the metal to wrap around her waist, ankles, wrists, and neck. The tendrils then pulled tight, hugging her intimately to the cross, before turning, themselves, into rusted metal.</p><p>...as an afterthought, he tore the dazed girl's shirt open. Just a bit, though, enough to draw the eye, but nothing indecent. He did have a worldwide audience after all, who knew who could be watching?</p><p>"There, my dear, now the scene is set. I must admit, you make a <em>wonderful</em> damsel in distress." He spun around, enjoying the moment, enjoying the knowledge that everything was just going so perfectly! The hero, while distraught and beset by misfortune, was still progressing towards his goal. Everything was still up in the air, three allies defeated, two allies victorious; an enemy defeated and even a betrayal of the grandest sort!</p><p>Keep the readers guessing, it was a cardinal rule. He bet that some of those poor fools watching still believed that Saotome had a chance to succeed too! He certainly hoped that all of them did. It would just make it all the sweeter when he crushed the fool boy, to turn that hope into despair with a single swipe of his claws.</p><p>Oops, his victims were almost here. He quickly moved back to center of the street, carefully cloaking himself in the massive shadow of the Evangelion.</p><p>There! In the distance, the quartet finally turned the corner. The four of them, Saotome, Lightning and Thunder, being led by his own creation, Goku. With feral grace and deadly intent, they made their way to the center of the street and began walking towards him. An errant breeze stirred to life, blowing dramatically through their hair as they walked against the wind. The traitorous Saiyan walked several yards ahead of the three youths, the two elementals flanking Saotome as they followed. The stern expression on Goku's face was dwarfed by the look of righteous fury that adorned the faces of the three boys that followed in his wake.</p><p>Oh, this was going to be wonderful! And he knew just how to get things started.</p><p>To his side, Tetsuo let out a loud growl, before levitating several inches above the ground. Then, without a second's hesitation, the red caped youth exploded into action, soaring down the street towards the three heroes. Tetsuo let out a harsh yell as he soared, his hands trailed behind him, the pavement tearing into twin furrows at the fury of his passage. The psychic's power would not be denied, even as he flew past, the shattered remnants of the street rose in the air, shedding the frail fetters of gravity.</p><p>Saotome and his two companions stopped their approach and took up combat stances, unsure of what to expect...</p><p>Then Goku vanished...</p><p>There was a flash of movement too fast for the eye to follow, even a demonic eye such as Brushogun's. A fraction of a second later, the vibration of the air molecules finally conveyed the sound that accompanied the violent burst of action. By the time the deafening sound of bone crushing into bone with cruel abandon reached his ears, the scene had finally resolved itself.</p><p>There, standing in the center of the street, now two dozen yards ahead of his companions, Goku stood. The Saiyan's right fist was raised, a smear of red ink painted across the back of it as he held it to his side. Twenty feet to the alien's side, the building was now coated in a layer of equally red ink, ten feet wide and three stories high.</p><p>It took several more moments for everything to finally catch up to that impossible action. Even the rubble that had followed in Tetsuo's wake hovered for a disturbing eternity before it all finally crashed to the ground.</p><p>Saotome, Lightning and Thunder could only stare in horror at what had just happened. Likely they were imagining what could have happened to them if Goku had so chosen to attack them. Goku then looked up, meeting his gaze finally. The Saiyan even had the audacity to smile!</p><p>"It's all over Brushogun...," stated the proud alien warrior.</p><p>Brushogun simply nodded.</p><p>"Indeed, it is..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"... for <em>you</em>."</p><p>Realization, cold and cruel, washed over Ranma when he heard those words. He knew exactly what was going to happen next, and it twisted his insides fiercely. Apparently Goku realized what was going to happen as well, as the most powerful martial artist in the universe turned to face the three of them. Surprisingly, there was still a smile on the warrior's face, though it was tinted with sadness.</p><p>"It was a pleasure to fight with you, Ranma." Goku's smile widened and the alien offered him a quick salute. "Don't let this guy beat you, kid. It'd be a waste for such an amazing fighter to buy it in a place like this."</p><p>Ranma didn't know what to say, what to think...</p><p>"But – but you can't go like that! That guy's no match for you... y-you're <em>freakin Goku</em>!"</p><p>Goku simply shrugged, accepting his fate in that way that only the <em>really </em>noble kind of person can.</p><p>"Hopefully, we'll meet again some day. Good luck, kid."</p><p>And then Goku died.</p><p>It wasn't at all spectacular, as Mecha-Boi's demise had been. More of a simple reversal of his creation, than any elaborate death scene. The Saiyan simply seemed to lose cohesion, before collapsing into an orange pile of goo...</p><p>He had no idea why, but the sight enraged him more than he would have thought possible. Suddenly the world consisted of only two things: his fist... and Brushogun. It was like the mythical last straw which collapsed the vertebrae of the desert dwelling ungulate. All the pain, the fear, the anger, the uncertainty... and now this too?</p><p>Without wasting another breath, he stalked forward to finally confront his mysterious foe. He heard his companions follow, not that he even cared now. A half a minute later, he was standing before the looming figure of Brushogun, the towering creature hanging above him. He looked to the side, where Akane was being displayed like a painting. The sight of her torn shirt only fueled the fire of his anger. What had this perverted freak done to her?</p><p>He turned back to Brushogun, locking gazes with the imperious demon. Brushogun stared down at him, vile smile hanging tauntingly on his face.</p><p>"Well done, well done, Saotome. I knew you would get this fa-"</p><p>A beam of golden ki, mixed heavily with violent crimson, did an impressive job of shutting the arrogant bastard the hell up! The blast lifted the ooze covered villain into the air and back several yards to crash down in a smoking heap.</p><p>Rather than follow up the attack, Ranma ran over to Akane. As he did, he turned to yell at Thunder and Lightning. "Guys! Get those three out of here!" he pointed to the comatose bodies of Natsume, Kurumi and Ryu. Without questioning, they did as he asked. Lightning quickly picked up Kurumi, while Thunder threw Natsume and Ryu over his massive shoulders.</p><p>He ignored that, reaching Akane a second later. He looked up, making sure that she wasn't seriously hurt. She looked back down at him, a serious look on her face.</p><p>"Ranma! I have to tell you quickly. Brushogun is an <em>ink </em>demon! That's what all his minions are made of, that's what <em>he's</em> made of," she explained insistently.</p><p>He smiled widely, both at her uninjured status and her revelation. He quickly leapt up and snapped off the restraint on her neck. "Alright, Akane! That's great! So, what's his weakness?" he asked excitedly.</p><p>The Tendo girl met his gaze, her excited expression fading. "Uhhh, what do you mean 'what's his weakness'? I told you what he was so <em>you </em>could figure that out. You don't actually think he <em>told </em>me what his weakness was, did you?"</p><p>He slapped his free hand against his forehead. "Sheesh, 'Kane, what good does <em>that </em>do me? What does it matter what those guys are made of, they're still super powerful!" he barked back in irritation.</p><p>His restrained fiancée rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, well <em>excuse</em> me for being <em>kidnapped again</em>! Do you have <em>any </em>idea what I've been through this week? I even passed up a chance to escape just so I could tell you that. You'd think you'd at least have a <em>shred</em> of gratitude!"</p><p>"You did <em>what</em>!" he shouted in disbelief. "You gave up a chance to get the hell out of here to tell me <em>that</em>? What on earth am I supposed to do with that?"</p><p>"Absolutely <em>nothing</em>."</p><p>That was <em>not</em> Akane's voice! Both turned quickly (as much as possible in her case) to see the looming form of Brushogun only a handful of yards away. There was not a single sign that the demon had just been blasted full on in the face by a furious assault of ki. Not even a wisp of smoke, damn it! In fact, Brushogun appeared to be in quite a good mood.</p><p>"There is absolutely <em>nothing </em>you can do to stop me, Saotome. Yes, I am the Demon Lord of Ink, but that knowledge will avail you nothing. I have no weakness for you to exploit, no vulnerability for you to attack." Brushogun raised a clawed arm before him, the moonlight reflecting along the slick lengths of his razor talons. "I. Am. Beyond you!"</p><p>Damn it! He was stuck, hanging right beside Akane. If he moved to dodge, Brushogun would just hit her! If he didn't move... Well, that was no decision at all, really. In a flash, he interposed himself between Akane and the slowly raising claws of the villainous demon.</p><p>"Hold, <em>Demon</em>!"</p><p>The abrupt shout stopped Brushogun's deadly assault in its tracks. As one, Ranma, Akane and the Ink Demon all turned to gaze at the speaker...s. Thunder and Lightning were standing at the center of the street, smiling malevolently. In the distance, Ranma saw several uniformed officers carrying the injured martial artists away. He was only glad that the cops had mostly stuck around this area, he'd hate to imagine what would have happened if there had been any officers in the vicinity of <em>any </em>of their battles.</p><p>Brushogun scoffed loudly.</p><p>"Bit players! What are you still doing here? Can't you see that I am preparing to kill the protagonist?"</p><p>The brothers continued to smile. Thunder crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest, before sharing a quick glance with his brother, who was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.</p><p>"It is a poor writer who neglects the actions of his characters, no matter how minor they might appear. Especially when those <em>bit players </em>have the power to end your evil forever!"</p><p>This time, Brushogun laughed, long and loud. After several moments, the demon wiped a tear of black ink from his eye, still chuckling weakly at Thunder's brave declaration. "Please, please don't embarrass yourselves like that. True, your powers over thunder and lightning are impressive, but in no way do they compare to the infinite might that is mine to command. I've already proven that I can destroy you at my whim. Would you care to fight another Saiyan? A dozen, a hundred? What could the likes of <em>you two </em>possibly do to stop <em>me</em>?"</p><p>Lightning stepped forward at that, hiding his limp and ignoring his injured shoulder bravely. The pale skinned youth smiled widely and arrogantly, his hands resting on his hips and his chest pushed out. He then lifted his hand and waved dramatically.</p><p>"I am <em>so </em>glad that you asked that question, <em>Ink </em>Demon!"</p><p>"Let us <em>show you</em>!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>His eyes fluttered open... though, he almost wished they hadn't. As soon as the weak light filtered in past his sagging eyelids, it must have sent some signal that his brain was up and running again, because a scant few seconds after opening said eyes, messages started rushing in from every inch of his body.</p><p>Unfortunately, all the messages shared the same general gist: pain. Certainly, he was surprised by the sheer variety of the pain he was currently feeling, but at least the fact that he was still feeling pain was a good sign at this point. With agonizing slowness, he rolled over onto his back and pushed himself up to a sitting position.</p><p>A quick scan of his surroundings told him pretty much what had happened. He was currently sitting on the floor in the middle of a relatively upscale hotel room. The smashed window marked his entrance; it was a damn good thing that he'd decided to wear his trench coat, its heavy leather seemed to have protected him from getting too cut up. The wall before him had a shattered painting hanging from it, though the wall itself really wasn't any worst for wear. Honestly, he'd half expected the wall to shatter like glass when he'd hit it; unfortunately, it had been pretty much the opposite that had happened. Obviously, he'd been hanging out with Saotome too long, it was starting to loosen his tenuous grip on reality.</p><p>Of course, it was about then that he noticed the nice, fluffy, queen sized bed sitting about two feet to his side.</p><p>"Thank goodness this nice, hardwood floor broke my fall, I'd hate to think how landing on that soft, comfy bed would have traumatized me..." Why did the gods hate him so?</p><p>And why was he talking to himself, for that matter?</p><p>Well, at least it was good for something. Reaching out, he gripped the side of the bed and used it to lever his aching body up to its feet. That was it, seriously. No more freak fighting for him, one super villain was more than enough. If Saotome managed to beat that demon and they didn't all die, he was retiring!... or at least transferring to a different department. Maybe homicide? Suzahara certainly didn't have to deal with this kind of stress.</p><p>After he stopped wobbling, the policeman carefully brushed off most of the remaining glass shards, before shaking his coat to get rid of the rest. Satisfied that he was mostly cleaned up, he leaned down again (back complaining all the way) to recover his most important piece of police equipment.</p><p>His fedora.</p><p>Smiling grimly, he brushed the leather hat against his shin a few times, before reverently resting it back upon his head. Taking another minute or so to stand up again, he considered his options. He had no idea how long he'd been out, or what had transpired while he had been. Strangely, it was quiet outside the destroyed window and there weren't any bodies flying past... so obviously a look was required.</p><p>Moving slowly, more from pain than concern, he made his way to the remains of the window. Hmm... yup, they were still boned. Looked like most of the gang was here now, though. Demon, check, Saotome, check, storm kids, check. That loopy broad that the kung fu kid liked had managed to get herself captured again, and in style this time. He'd have felt bad for her, if he hadn't expressly told her to get the hell outta there. Kids these days, no respect for their elders, and see what it gets them?</p><p>Well, nothing to do but go down and join the party. His laser toy was garbage, but he still had his revolver. It was better than nothing, he supposed. Of course, how you could use a bullet to hurt a demon composed of ink, he had no idea, but then, he doubted Saotome or his buddies had any idea either.</p><p>Limping weakly, he exited the room, entering a living room. Nice one, too, hopefully this building didn't get any more destroyed than it already was, maybe he'd get a room here, live it up a bit. A moment later, he was in the hallway and making his way to the elevator.</p><p>As he wandered down the nicely decorated hallway, he stopped suddenly. Something had caught his attention rather unexpectedly. His mind started racing a mile a minute at what he saw...</p><p>His reflection.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma stared at his comrades in confusion, he had no idea what they had planned. However, they were confident. Confident was good, confident was great! Confident just saved him from getting disemboweled.</p><p>And then, with a crack of thunder, the two elementals disappeared in a flash of lightning into the heavens.</p><p>The pigtailed martial artist's jaw started working on its own, desperately struggling words that absolutely refused to come... The three remaining earthbound looked at the scorched circle of pavement for several more moments. Akane broke the silence first...</p><p>"... they... they ditched us?"</p><p>Ranma didn't even bother to face her, eyes still glued to the area of the rapid departure. "I – I don't <em>think </em>they'd just ditch us... I think..."</p><p>Hysterical laughter filled the night, drawing their gazes back to the Ink Demon. Brushogun's shoulders hitched uncontrollably as the demon just laughed and laughed.</p><p>Unbeknownst to them all, the sky above them began to fill ominously with dark clouds...</p><p>Brushogun turned to face the two of them, still snickering weakly. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! I haven't seen an exit that rapid since the US was asked to join the Kyoto protocol! I had no idea that your friends were such spineless cowards, Saotome. You must be quite proud!"</p><p>A snarl escaped his lips, as he bristled nastily at the sharp words. He didn't know why, but he felt the strong need to stand up for his friends. After all they'd been through together, he just couldn't believe they'd flee like that. Of course, their marked absence said differently, but he did tend to believe the best in people.</p><p>"They didn't run away, bastard. They're just doin'... somethin'...," he trailed off weakly.</p><p>"Ha! Indeed: escaping! I must say, they are the most intelligent young heroes I've ever met."</p><p>The angry martial artist swung out his arm, physically dismissing his foe's words. "They ain't cowards, and they ain't runnin! They got something up their sleeves, and when they get back, you'll see what it is!"</p><p>Brushogun ran a long talon along his chin, tearing paper and spilling ink as he did. Of course, the wound healed instantly, but it was still disturbing. "Of course, boy. I'm certain they have a <em>grand </em>pla-"</p><p>The rest of the demon's words were drowned out by a deafening crash of thunder. Suddenly, Ranma was looking at the sky, just now noticing the black layer of clouds that hung in the air above them. He... was sure that those hadn't been there just a few minutes ago... Lightning crashed, followed by another peal of thunder; the entire city shook beneath the might of the growing storm.</p><p>And suddenly, like a flipped switch, Ranma knew what their plan was.</p><p>"Oh, hell..."</p><p>For a desperate moment, he frantically looked for any possible cover... but, again, came to the sad realization that saving himself would only be putting Akane in danger. Seriously, he liked the girl like crazy, but could she <em>not </em>go five days without getting kidnapped? He could guarantee this kind of thing wouldn't happen if he were dating Raven, or Jinx, like Ryouga had. Heck, bad guys would probably be kidnapping <em>him </em>to get to the girls!</p><p>And then the rain fell.</p><p>This, of course, had the instantaneous effect of emasculating him on international television... Gods, her life sucked. But, on the bright side, there wasn't anything for Nabiki to blackmail her about... unless she found out about that thing she'd done that time... She shook her head quickly. Yes, it was a lead lining around the massive cloud of her curse being made global knowledge. Heck, it wasn't even the curse that she was worried about as much as the fact that everyone in the world would think she was a cross-dresser or something.</p><p>The rather buxom young red head let out a sigh, again plotting the demise of her <em>comrades</em>, when she heard the wail. Looking up from her recent additions, she noticed something odd was happening all around her. Beside her, the metal structure that was holding Akane, it looked to be... melting. Each drop of rain that touched the rusted metal ate into the material hungrily, reducing it into a black sludge. If it weren't for the fact that Akane and herself were both completely fine (if a bit soaked now) she'd have imagined the rain was pure acid.</p><p>And everyone knows that acid rain is just <em>wrong</em>.</p><p>In the distance, the behemoth that was the Evangelion was being similarly undone! The skeletal giant was bowing under the rain, trying to shield itself vainly with armor plated purple arms. Of course, being a twelve-story giant, it was gonna take a hell of a lot of rain to dissolve that monster. Ranma found herself smiling, though, since it seemed that might not be necessary.</p><p>Brushogun stood before her, howling in agony as the rain slashed into his ink-stained hide. The Ink Demon fell back, its arms weakly flailing, desperately struggling to hold back the rain. Who'd have thought that the battle would be ended so easily? Defeat Ancient Demon: Just add water!</p><p>Her lips fell slightly at that thought...</p><p>Brushogun's struggles only grew in their fervor, as the demon wailed to the heavens. Why did this whole scene remind her of something? It was right on the tip of her tongue; she could have sworn she'd been here before for some reason.</p><p>Crap... Now she remembered where she'd seen this. The cursed martial artist let out a long, weary sigh, before cinching her loosened belt. Now was no time to be a pansy; time to man up and bite the bullet (or something like that, it'd been a while since she'd seen that show, or movie, or whatever)</p><p>"Would you just quit it? You're embarrassing yourself, ya big ass ink blotch," she barked out irately.</p><p>Instantly, Brushogun's struggles ceased, and he rose back to his full height, an annoyed look on his face. She noticed that even as the rain stripped the ink from his skin, it was being replaced just as quickly.</p><p>"Really? <em>Again</em>? Have people in this era just become so incredibly jaded that they won't believe anything anymore? I mean, I didn't even have the chance to get to my 'what a world, what a world' bit." The demon waved its arm in annoyance, a steady stream of inky water running down his hand and splashing to the pavement loudly.</p><p>The blue-eyed girl just snorted loudly. "Please, I've seen the 'pretending to be defeated just to get a laugh' thing done, like, a month ago. And I gotta say, <em>that </em>girl really sold it. Face it, Ink Blot, you can draw, but ya can't act." She smiled confidently and crossed her arms over, then quickly under her chest, even as she quailed internally. What the heck was she gonna do now? If the rain couldn't stop this thing, then what could?</p><p>"I admire the brave front, Miss Ranko, but I am a <em>Demon</em>! Did you and your friends think something as simple as rain could defeat me? My powers have grown beyond such a meager weakness."</p><p>A loud growl escaped her lips. "My name ain't <em>Ranko</em>, ya stupid demon!" She quickly followed it up by dropping into a combat stance. Even as her anger was trying to get the best of her, though, her mind was quickly analyzing the situation around her. Akane's prison was still dissolving, another minute at the most and she'd be free, probably sooner if she brought her gorilla like strength to bear. In the distance, the giant continued to melt, even as Brushogun monologued. Slowly, her angry scowl melted into a sly smirk.</p><p>"Hmm, maybe yer right, maybe the rain ain't enough to beat ya. But I'll bet that it's weakenin' ya a lot more than yer lettin' on! Looks to me like you're spending most of your power just holding yourself together; you can't even keep your puppets up and runnin' in this kinda rain." She cracked her knuckles threateningly, slowly starting to bounce from foot to foot with noisy splashes. Time was on her side, for probably the first time in the history of the world! The longer she could keep this creep talking, the more damage the rain would do. It was awesome!</p><p>Brushogun absently ran his hand across his forehead, wiping away rain and ink, revealing soggy parchment beneath for a half a second. The demon then shook his head sadly, before a shark's smile found its way onto his grim face. "Perhaps you are correct, Miss Saotome, or perhaps..."</p><p>Suddenly the demon raised both hands to the sky, the very air around them warping in a stomach twisting display of unholy power.</p><p>"You are <em>underestimating my <strong>Power</strong></em>!"</p><p>And then he slammed his clawed hands to the street; cracks extended outward in every direction for several meters – wait! Those weren't cracks, they were trails of ink!</p><p>She dodged to the side quickly, as one of the ebony streaks sped directly towards her but cursed as soon as she did it! The streak continued, unhindered, to strike the base of the cross which held Akane. His fiancée didn't even have time to yell before the cross suddenly resolidified. The rusted metal surfaces of the cross suddenly regained their jagged harshness, though the structure was now warped horribly out of shape, listing depressingly to the side, and bent heavily under its own weight. A new addition formed as well, a metallic gag running over the blue haired girl's mouth, obviously to stop her from giving out any further advice.</p><p>The rain continued to pound the metallic cross, but only left tiny ripples which quickly smoothed out once more. Ranma would have been shocked by that, except another of the tendrils also attached itself to the <em>Evangelion</em>! Like the cross, the megalithic beast suddenly ceased its destruction, regaining its color and solidity. However, like the cross, the beast was now a twisted, though unfortunately still functional, mockery of its former glory.</p><p>Looking up from his handiwork, Brushogun's toothy grin only grew, a black slug of a tongue extending though his teeth to lick the running water from his face. The demon then looked up to the heavens, a considering look on his features.</p><p>"As for your friends, I suppose I'll have to deal with them first. I'd hate to begin our final battle with you under the foolish delusion that you have a chance to succeed. It would be cruel and unfair to you."</p><p>Quickly, the pigtailed martial artist crossed her arms tightly across her chest, suddenly struggling to gather the confidence needed to use her unique ki attack. She didn't have any idea what the demon meant, but she knew it couldn't be good. It was so hard, though. Couldn't <em>anything </em>stop this beast? Even standing out in the full fury of nature, the creature could not only survive, but maintain its creations as well?</p><p>Brushogun lifted a hand and playfully wagged a long talon back and forth. "Tsk, tsk, Miss Saotome. You don't want to use that tired attack <em>again</em> do you? People are going to start getting bored. Why don't you let me show you how to <em>mix it up</em>?" slurred the creature condescendingly.</p><p>"Mix this up! <em>Mouko Takabisha</em>!" She pushed out with all her strength once again, forcing the golden sphere of ki away from her and towards the demon. It was a little smaller than usual, but she was confident that it would still work. As confident as the demon was sounding, it must have been taking a tremendous amount of power to do everything it was doing. It <em>had </em>to be vulnerable!</p><p>The orb of ego given form exploded magnificently on impact!... except it hadn't made it even halfway to its target! Ranma stared in disbelief... at the six foot by six-foot, steel wall that had just risen from the ground. The metal structure was vibrating wildly, and a three-foot-deep dent was nearly punched all the way through it. A second later, the wall suddenly faded to black, before dropping to back to the pavement into a puddle of watered-down ink.</p><p>"Wha-"</p><p>"No need for applause, my lovely little dumpling." Brushogun stood, just so that he could bow cordially to her, his arm sweeping out grandly. "Just a minor parlor trick. Now, please let me show you a <em>real</em> crowd pleaser."</p><p>What the hell? He could make stuff like that, too? Well, sure, she supposed if he could make actual Saiyans, how the hell hard could it be to make a freaking wall, but damn! Her shock held her immobile long enough for Brushogun to slam a hand to the earth once more.</p><p>This time, a wide streak of ink, over a foot wide, shot off in the direction of the Evangelion. She feared he was planning on reviving it completely, except the streak of ink suddenly branched in two directions before even getting halfway there, both at ninety-degree angles to the original. In the blink of an eye, both lines traveled ten meters, before suddenly turning ninety degrees again, both heading in the direction of the Evangelion once more.</p><p>Was he planning on making two more? Could this demon possibly have that kind of powe-</p><p>Except, after twenty meters, both lines turned ninety degrees <em>again</em>, this time coming together to form a huge, twenty by twenty-meter square. What the hell was he up to? Suddenly, the large box... changed. In a matter of seconds, the solid black line surrounding the square suddenly developed alternating yellow stripes, diagonal, and lines began at the middle of the near and far sides, shooting down the center of the large box and bisecting it into two halves.</p><p>Again, something at the back of his mind was ringing the 'Oh crap' alarm in his brain. She was about to run forward to get a better look...</p><p>When, against all reason, the street suddenly <em>split open</em>! The entire section of road surround by the black and yellow stripes opened dramatically, revealing what (from her angle) appeared to be a bottomless pit.</p><p>It was not empty for long though. It started as a quiet rumble, but soon developed into an earth quaking squeal of something large approaching the surface fast. The whole event had taken probably five seconds at the most, but Brushogun's intent was revealed in an eruption of motion –</p><p>As an eight-story <em>positron rifle</em> suddenly emerged from the tunnel, resting securely on an artist's rendition of a freight elevator. Without a second's hesitation, the twisted Evangelion lifted the weapon up to its shoulder and aimed the massive device at the very heart of the storm above them.</p><p>"Hell! Thunder and Lightning!" There was no way the duo would hear her meager shout, not over the distance, or the very storm they, themselves were creating. Even at her best, she couldn't imagine any possible way to stop the giant robot from what it was about to do. Behind her, Akane's muffled cries sounded painfully; before her, Brushogun's laughter did the same. All around her, thunder, wind, and rain filled her senses.</p><p>For a single second, it was all drowned out. The cannon fired with a tremendous blast of force, launching a glowing white projectile of pure energy up into the clouds. The back blast of the cannon firing washed down over the entire street. It shattered windows, cleared the streets of water, and sent a certain pigtailed girl flying. Her world filled with flashes of color as she felt her head hit something hard, which thankfully gave way to her thick skull.</p><p>Several, very groggy, minutes later, she dug her head out of the wall where it had been planted. She wasn't exactly sure how long she was out, but when she finally cleared the gravel out of her hair and ears, the night was eerily quiet.</p><p>Slowly, the redhead turned around. To be honest, she was somewhat surprised by what she saw. First and most obvious, was the lack of rain. That wasn't the surprising part, though, nor were the rapidly dispersing clouds. Nor was it Akane, still trapped in the mangled remains of her restraints. It was more lounger than cross, now, but still seemed to retain the strength to hold the girl in place. No, the surprising sight was the Evangelion.</p><p>Or what was left of it!</p><p>Though the deed was done, the shot fired, the metallic giant obviously wasn't as invincible as Brushogun had tried to make it out to be. From the waste up, the robot was simply gone, the entire street for at least a dozen blocks behind the monster were painted midnight black. Even from her limited ability to guess, it looked like the backlash from the improbably large rifle had literally ripped itself and the giant to pieces. As if just realizing what had happened, the legs finally toppled over, melting into an ocean of ink before they even hit the ground.</p><p>"Holy hell...," she muttered quietly to herself.</p><p>There was no sign of the storm brothers... not that she really expected to see any after such an attack. Something twisted painfully inside her and she felt something catch uncomfortably at the back of her throat. She looked up to the large, perfectly circular void in the clouds above them, exactly where Thunder and Lightning had vanished to minutes ago. Perfect blackness shone through that one, small area, surrounded by endless banks of dark gray. The circle was slowly growing, even as the clouds slowly dispersed themselves.</p><p>She felt a familiar tingle at the corner of her eyes, but ruthlessly forced herself to stop. She was a guy damnit! She wouldn't, couldn't cry... yet. There wasn't time for that! No time to even think about what had just happened. She forced her mind away from that, filling her entire brain with a single thought.</p><p>With feral grace, the slight predator turned to face the center of the street once more. She'd make Brushogun pay for everything he'd done, that was certain...</p><p>As soon as she found the guy!</p><p>He was gone! How on earth could she have lost track of an eight-foot gloating psychopath? She almost leapt to the nearest roof when she saw it. There, right where she had been looking, a small hump began to rise from the vast ocean of ink that filled the street. It was a slow process, as the demon slowly reformed himself; by the time it was finished she was standing directly before him. The glare she gave him promised only a swift and painful demise.</p><p>"I hope you had your fun, demon, cuz it's way past time that I sent you back to hell," she growled in a low voice.</p><p>Brushogun swayed slightly, betraying an instant of weakness, before catching himself and smiling suavely. "Tut, tut, dear. Don't you know that heroine is bad for you? You might as well just surrender. You're all alone now; no one can possibly save you. Why drag out your suffering? I can end it quickly for you, if you just ask," the demon's voice <em>oozed</em> with false compassion.</p><p>She scoffed loudly. "Feh, I'd say you're the one that should be askin for mercy, 'cept I ain't got none for ya. Like ya said, it's down to you and it's down to me, so how 'bout you and me dance?" The master martial artist fell back into her most offensive stance, preparing to lash out with everything she had. She was still pretty much in top form (barring having her head buried into a concrete wall), but she just <em>knew </em>that the demon <em>had </em>to have felt the effects of all that exertion. Even if the damn thing weren’t hurt, there was no way that he could still be at full power after all of that!</p><p>Brushogun let out a long sigh. "Why doesn't anyone ever do anything the easy way? Very well, a dance you want, a dance you shall have. However, do you mind if I lead?"</p><p>And suddenly Ranma was on the defensive. Brushogun dove forward with frightening speed, scythe-like claws leading the way. The demon swung his talons with manic intensity, ripping the air asunder with his fury. Had it been any other person on the planet there (excepting aliens and bicentennial masters) they would have been reduced to so much hamburger in seconds.</p><p>This meant, for Ranma, it was <em>almost</em> a challenge. She ducked and weaved through the attacks with only minor difficulty, not even bothering to block the razor-edged claws. After a year or two of being continually attacked by masters of the blade like Mousse and Kunou, this was hardly anything new. She let herself settle into the rhythm of the battle, slowly letting it soothe her troubled mind, even as she took full measure of her opponent's ability.</p><p>Being fully immersed in the fight cleared her mind better than a month with a shrink could. All the thoughts of anger and vengeance slowly floated away; a cool, calculating calm settling over her mind. Sure, anger could be extremely useful in a fight, if it were the <em>other person</em> that was angry, but it wouldn't help her.</p><p>It didn't take her long to deduce that Brushogun wasn't really a threat in the hand-to-hand department, as intimidating as he looked. She continued her analysis, even as she continued to duck and weave around his tactless swings. The demon was reasonably fast, perhaps slightly faster than Mousse, though perhaps slightly slower than Ryouga and much slower than herself. Conversely, Brushogun possessed no real skill, attacking like a wild animal. At this rate, barring anymore unexpected surprises, she figured she could pick the demon apart at her leisure.</p><p>So, she did.</p><p>The next attack that came her way, a savage descending slash, signaled her moment to counter. She slid around the attack like water and launched a dozen powerful punches up and down Brushogun's entire torso. The force of the nearly simultaneous punches was enough to slide the slippery demon back half a dozen meters. Brushogun slid to a stop, sporting several deep dents in his hide, testaments to Ranma's power.</p><p>The redhead smiled grimly, even as she wiped her blackened knuckles on her pants. All it really accomplished was staining her pants and knuckles equally, but who cared, really?</p><p>The Demon Lord of Ink seemed to consider the damage that had just been done to his person for a moment. "Hmm, interesting, you are a fast little mouse, aren't you?" muttered the demon quietly. Without even a hint of effort, Brushogun's wounds all healed instantly. Not that she'd expected much else... yet.</p><p>"Heh. Got that right, Brushy! You sure you don't wanna do this the easy way? I heard that not many people do, you could be the first!" she spouted blithely.</p><p>This only elicited another quiet chuckle from her enemy. "Don't be so blithe about the situation, Saotome. After all, you know what they say about catching troublesome mice, don't you?"</p><p>She thought about that for a moment. "Um... you get a ca-, a c-, a caaa-, a c-c-c-ca... aw hell, you get a <em>dog</em>!" she barked out proudly. Take that, irrational phobia!</p><p>The demonic entity rolled its eyes in disgust, slapping a wet hand against its face. He slowly drew his hand down his face, looking at her sadly. Finally, Brushogun let out a weary sigh. "No, you mendicant, you <em>build a better mouse trap</em>!"</p><p>Without warning, the four flags that adorned Brushogun's back, which had been plastered to the demon's back by the heavy rain, suddenly surged to life, rising into the air behind him. Each of the arms suddenly began to spiral in on themselves, forming long tubes... which, in the blink on an eye formed into four separate arms! At the end of each arm, hands formed, adorned with seemingly random numbers of razor-sharp talons. Five on one, seven on another and so on.</p><p>The four arms swung forward pendulously, hovering in the air like the stinging tails of scorpions. Then, as if that weren’t bad enough, the forty or more claws all extended to nearly a foot in length, oozing with deadly intent... and ink, mostly the ink. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards, slightly unnerved by the sudden tripling of her opponent's armaments. Brushogun just loomed before her, apparently delighting in her trepidation.</p><p>That was too bad, the bastard should have attacked when he had the chance.</p><p>The handful of seconds that the demon wasted drinking in her hesitation allowed inspiration to strike. With great subtlety, she took another step back, her hands slowly sliding behind her back.</p><p>"Hey! Who you callin' a mendicant?" she asked, both to buy time and because she had no idea what the word meant. It sure <em>sounded </em>insulting, though. Ah! There they were. She took another step back, giving her a little more distance.</p><p>The demon rolled his eyes, looking about ready to answer, when she cut him off. "Heh, ya know who I was hopin' to run into tonight, but didn't? That cat girl." Another step back, opening the gap between them again.</p><p>"Ha! Looking forward to running like a little girl?... oops, too late for that I suppose. The next time I'm in Hell, I'll be sure to conjure her so the two of you can talk. Now, <em>time to die</em>!"</p><p>Brushogun lunged forward like a storm surge, a tidal wave of deadly blades leading the way. Ranma nearly smiled as the six-armed freak descended upon her, all forty-three lengthy claws desiring nothing less then the sweet taste of her blood. Her grip tightened instinctually as she focused her ki forcefully into her arms. Then, in a flash of speed that put the Amaguriken, the Parlay du Foie Gras and even the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist to shame, her hands shot out, exactly forty-three times.</p><p>Faster than even her own eyes could track, her arms disappeared into a blur, entangling impossibly with the six arms coming her way. For a brief second, there was a frantic back and forth between the two of them, before they both broke off their attacks and leapt back. Brushogun laughed madly as he stared at her, smiling widely.</p><p>"My, it appears as if we are evenly matched, Saotome. I think a few more arms might change that, though," boasted the cocky demon.</p><p>It was Ranma's turn to chuckle menacingly. Absently, she waved the items she held in her hands about, letting Brushogun catch a glimpse of them. "Think again, Brushy." She then pointed one of the gleaming instruments towards the demon, indicating his many hands.</p><p>Brushogun stared at her for a moment, not comprehending her comment...</p><p>The sound of metal raining down on the pavement rang out repeatedly, suddenly drawing the demon's gaze down to his own feet... To the forty-three, foot long claws that now laid there; the claws persisted for only a moment before melting away into the ocean of ink at their feet. Brushogun continued to stare in shock for a moment, before raising his gaze to meet hers.</p><p>"B-but how?"</p><p>Oh, how she grinned.</p><p>"Pedicure of the Fierce Tiger, bitch!" She spun around dramatically, before dropping into a low, wide stance. As she did that, she brandished her favored weapons for the world to see: her pair of industrial sized nail clippers. She'd been saving that one for the cat girl (hey, the idea had been stuck in her head forever, how could she <em>not</em> use it?) but this was just as good. "Heh, how's that for 'evenly matched'? I don't think you got enough dangly bits to make enough arms to stop me!"</p><p>The Ink Demon stared at her for a moment, then slowly began to shake his head from side to side in amusement. In a matter of seconds, each one of the claws regrew to their full, lethal glory. "You intend to defeat me with <em>nail clippers</em>? I believe this is the most insulted I've ever been in my entire existence. No, Miss Saotome, I'm afraid that your epic <em>strategy </em>is doomed to failure. Just as you are doomed to die."</p><p>"Feh, you keep sayin that, but I'm still here, ain't I? Whatcha gonna do? You're outta minions, outta gimmicks and ya can't keep up with my speed. I hate to say it, but it looks like yer on yer last legs here, Brushy," she spouted cockily. She felt her confidence start to take a small upswing, twirling her secret weapons as she stared down her opponent. As long as the bastard couldn't make another Goku, he was pretty much finished. It was all just a matter of time.</p><p>Brushogun seemed to agree, as, without warning, his four extra arms unraveled back to their original forms. The four banners waved in the windless air, defying the laws of nature. The idea of surrender was quickly quashed, though, as the demon suddenly let out a raucous laugh. "Defeated, am I?" drawled the snickering demon. "On my last legs, bereft of followers, at the limit of my power? You truly believe that you can defeat me, don't you?"</p><p>The pigtailed girl shrugged. "Six arms, eight arms, how many arms can ya make before ya just tie yourself in a knot? So, to answer your question: <em>um</em>, <em>yeah!</em>".</p><p>Suddenly the demon slapped its hands together, wringing them together joyfully. "Excellent! I'd hoped you'd say that! Now your defeat will be all the sweeter!"</p><p>"Huh? What the heck are ya talkin bout, jerkwad? You got nuthin!" she barked irately.</p><p>Brushogun just smiled wider, the top of his head nearly falling off from the strain. Then, for some reason, the demon pointed a single finger to the ground at their feet. "Heh, heh heh. Saotome, just what <em>exactly </em>is it that you are standing in?" Her eyes opened wide in shock at the question. She quickly looked down...</p><p>To the ocean of ink that was currently submerging her feet.</p><p>"Aw, hell," she muttered quietly to herself. She then looked back up to the demon before her, shocked understanding on her fair features. The demon just nodded in answer to her unasked question.</p><p>"To quote a kindred spirit, Miss Saotome: I <em>am <strong>Legion</strong></em>!"</p><p>And then all hell broke loose!</p><p>All at once, dozens of spikes, tendrils, claws, and teeth rose from the ink all around her. A second after that, her world was reduced to only the basest instinct of survival. There was no time for conscious thought, no time to plan her actions or plot her movements. Every neuron that fired was geared towards a single goal: survival! Her arms blurred, clippers flashing out to cut down as many of the narrower pseudopods as possible. Her legs burned, desperately ducking, and weaving her through the jungle of death that had just sprung up around her. She dared not leap, she'd be a sitting duck in the air and the gods only knew what kind of death trap would be waiting wherever she was going to land. Her muscles stretched nearly to snapping as she bent to obscene angles to avoid whipping and grasping tendrils intent on latching onto her. She couldn't afford a single mistake.</p><p>She lashed out with her left arm, severing two tentacles and another claw. On instinct, her right leg lifted, and she spun out of the way of a looping tendril that had nearly snared the limb. She bent backwards to avoid a jagged looking mass swinging through the air, just in time to block a matching one coming at her from the opposite direction. The pair of clippers in her right hand shattered dramatically under the force of the impact, several shards of metal cutting deeply into her palm.</p><p>Ranma didn't even have time to register the pain; she quickly slammed her bleeding hand into the ink, to the street below, and kicked her legs off into a backwards handstand. She regained her feet instantly and continued her desperate dodging. A dozen, two dozen, a hundred attacks flew at her, nearly simultaneously. As far as her eyes could see, her world was filled with a dense, never ending forest of ebony serpents. Except this entire forest was intent on her demise. And, unfortunately, she didn't even have a lame ass magic shield or sword to help this time!</p><p>And somewhere, lost to her vision, Brushogun was watching, and laughing.</p><p>Her muscles began to burn with the buildup of lactic acid, ordering her body to stop moving painfully. Just like the pain in her hand, though, she ignored it, buried it in the recesses of her mind that had the time to worry about such trivial things. A long tendril wrapped around her wrist, she ripped it free, using the momentum of the swing to avoid five more deadly implements. Something fast and thin slashed up her back, but she didn't even have the energy to waste shouting in pain. She simply pushed forward, slashing, and cutting through the forest by sheer willpower alone.</p><p>Where the hell was he?</p><p>She realized the mistake before she even made it, without thinking, her nail clipper vainly flashed out trying to clip one of the jagged, tooth-like growths, only to deform into uselessness at the harsh impact. Without hesitation, she dropped the piece of trash and fell into a completely defensive strategy. She continued to desperately dodge; the sensation of something wrapping around her ankle tripped a warning in her brain.</p><p>Without even knowing how she did it, her aura, bright gold, burned to life around her ankle, burning away the offending tendril. She had no idea what she was doing, but she continued doing it. Concentrating furiously, the golden aura of her fighting spirit came to surround her entire body. It burned brightly and the deadly serpents began to keep their distance, giving her several very needed seconds to catch her breath.</p><p>She eyed the hovering blades warily, even without eyes, they seemed to track her every movement perfectly. An army of predators, all just waiting for a single second of weakness. The tactical part of her brain screamed at her from the dark reaches of her mind. There was no way she could keep up such a furiously intense aura for an extended period. She'd burn herself out in a matter of minutes if she didn't end this battle quickly.</p><p>So where was the bastard!</p><p>She could hear him laughing... somewhere. The voice seemed to come from all around her, everywhere and nowhere at the same time, cold, mocking laughter. As she tried to locate the source, one of the bolder tendrils, tipped with a deadly scythe, lashed out at her, intent on her throat. She leaned hastily to the side and lashed out at the base of the blade with a knife hand, the black ink vaporized instantly, dropping the blade to the ground.</p><p>And then she was in the thick of it again. As powerful as her aura was, she knew she couldn't rely on it to completely protect her from any direct attacks. A heavy mace or an especially quick slash would certainly pierce her defenses before they were destroyed. So, her aura allowed her a lot more leeway in her movements, but it would be suicide to just stand there and take it.</p><p>That was about the last coherent thought she had for several minutes that felt like centuries.</p><p>There was only black, everywhere she looked. Black pavement, black sky, black tentacles, black blades... it was a wonder she could even remember which way was up and which way down. She literally danced through the forest, dodging where she could, blocking where she had to and lashing out whenever humanly possibly. It was a test of skill like none she'd faced before, speed, endurance, technique...</p><p>And then, just when she thought she couldn't move another muscle, when her aura began to flicker and spark weakly, she noticed it. The endless waves of attackers were thinning out! She could finally see further out than five feet, she could see the walls of the surrounding buildings, she could see flashes of her fiancée...</p><p>And she could see him!</p><p>He was laughing no longer. Rather, the demon was hunched over somewhat, an expression of great strain on his features. That was it! It must have been costing the demon huge amounts of energy to keep up such a harrying attack for so long! If she could just get to him before she dropped and before he could recover...</p><p>Hell with holding back now!</p><p>
  <em>"<strong>Mouko Takabisha</strong>!"</em>
</p><p>She fired all the meager strength she had left, straight down at her feet! The ki blast slammed into the ground and washed outwards into a golden wave of destruction. Even as the force of the explosion lifted her a dozen feet into the air, it swept over a swath of the inky tendrils a dozen feet across, blowing every single one of them to ash. It would have been an ideal place to land, really, but she'd had other plans.</p><p>She'd angled the blast carefully before dropping it, so her flight had taken her over the bulk of the remaining tentacles and towards her prey. The martial artist landed poorly, her muscles failing her completely as she landed. She slammed heavily to the pavement, splashing mightily into the ink, which thankfully cushioned her fall just a bit. A second later, she scrambled to her feet, scrabbling towards Brushogun as she did. It felt like her body was running on nothing but fumes, but Brushogun didn't look any better, wheezing heavily before her.</p><p>Though she didn't spare it a glance, she heard innumerable splashes behind her, as the forest of death collapsed in on itself. Not that it mattered, there was nothing between her and her goal now!</p><p>Ranma forced one foot in front of the other, dragging her sodden feet through the ink at her feet. She might as well have been walking through lead, for how exhausted she was, but somehow, she kept going. Brushogun looked at her in wonder as she approached him. Slowly, the demon stretched back up to its full height, staring down at her menacingly as she moved towards him.</p><p>"Most impressive, Saotome. I never imagined you could have gotten this far. Truly, I've underestimated you at every turn, even here, at the very end."</p><p>She smiled grimly at the admission. Her body continued to cry for release, but her mind just kept on ignoring it. It'd all be over soon, anyway, plenty of time to rest later.</p><p>"Heh, so, not a god after all, eh, Brushogun? Guess even monsters like you got limits."</p><p>The demon nodded sagely in response. "Indeed, so it appears. I must congratulate you; you've put up a mighty struggle. I am almost at the limit of my power...," Brushogun's sagely expression descended into a demonic grin. "Unfortunately for you, I am only '<em>almost</em> at the limit of my power', <em>fool</em>!"</p><p>The Saotome Heir's danger sense suddenly flared to life, she prepared to defend herself from any possible attack...</p><p>Except she didn't get the chance. Again, she realized her mistake just after it became too late to do anything about it. She'd fallen in the ink! She was covered from head to toe in the stuff! Suddenly, and with a force beyond comprehension, her legs slammed tightly together, and her arms slapped painfully to her sides. Even her breaths came in ragged gasps as it felt like a giant was pressing a massive foot down right on her ribcage. Then, completely unable to move and lacking even the spark of ki necessary to free herself, Ranma fell back to the pavement...</p><p>Utterly helpless...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Brushogun almost couldn't believe the sight... Certainly, he'd claimed from the very beginning that this was how it would end, but to see it unfolding thus, he didn't quite know what to feel. Lying on the ground before him, helpless before his power, was the female form of Saotome. All her allies dead or defeated, her fiancée just as helpless... It was – It was...</p><p>Somewhat unsettling...</p><p>The demonic entity looked around again, not even sure what it was he was looking for. Some last-minute cavalry, angels from on high, the charge of the light brigade? But there was nothing, innumerable policemen were holding just outside the edges of his sight, but they weren't any real concern. As weakened as he was, they knew that if they made a move, he'd just kill Saotome and her fiancée, then he'd be able to vanish into the night with the ease of a shadow. If he weren’t stopped here, now, he would escape and return more powerful then they could imagine...</p><p>So why wasn't anyone stopping him?</p><p>N-not that he <em>wanted </em>to be stopped. This was all he desired, his nemesis defeated, the world trembling at his power. He could feel his captives struggle against their bonds, but it required almost no effort to hold the exhausted Saotome and the relatively weak Tendo. It wasn't like this was the end of his story... though it certainly felt like it. It was just the beginning, there would be many challenges to follow, Saotome was a small fish in a vast ocean, after all, not even comparable to many of the true heroes that protected this world.</p><p>So why was he hesitating?</p><p>Wait... what was he even supposed to do now? He'd put so much thought into this, to creating this great climax... but what came after he captured the hero? The demon rubbed his chin in worried consideration. Why did this all feel so wrong suddenly, like something had gone wrong, or something was missing... He was certain that he'd formulated an exit strategy here, hadn't it flowed directly into the next stage of his plan, the conquering the world plan?</p><p>Conquering the world? That seemed like an awfully silly idea now that he thought about it. What on earth would he do with the entire earth? Would he be like the president or something, managing the day-to-day minutia of an entire planet? Could one being even maintain control over an entire planet, especially if everyone were constantly revolting against him? Why would he even want to control the whole world - he <em>hated </em>people.</p><p>Brushogun swayed slightly, suddenly grasping his forehead. What was he doing again? Hadn't there been something important that he'd been trying to do? It seemed like a dream almost, something about a painting... some candles... Why did that feel so important? Why did that seem so familiar? How did he get sidetracked onto this entire world domination thing, anyway? It sure didn't seem like something he'd do...</p><p>He was so very tired; all he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep. Everything was so confusing, so muddled in his mind, maybe a nice sleep would make everything better. Easing himself down easily, the artist leaned forward and placed his hands on the ground. He then began to lay himself down to the pavement; for some reason, the vast sea of black ink didn't register as odd to him in the least. He was almost halfway there, just a little more, then he could sleep this odd dream awa-</p><p>The movement stopped abruptly, his body hanging ponderously above the dark liquid. There was something there... a voice. Almost a voice, calling out to him from... somewhere. It didn't seem to think sleeping was a good idea. He couldn't imagine why, though, sleep seemed like a good idea. He prepared to lie down once more, but the voice came back, louder this time.</p><p>It said things to him, dark things, disturbing things. Uncertain now, he cautiously pushed himself back to his feet. It was odd, now that he thought about it. He couldn't understand a word the voice was saying, if it was even using words, but he still knew perfectly was it was telling him. He didn't like what it was saying, not one bit.</p><p>Except – except the voice was getting louder now, piercing, and shrill. His hands clapped over where his ears used to be, vainly trying to block out the dark howling. He tried to block it out, but it was too loud, it came from everywhere at once, assaulting him from every possible angle. Why couldn't he <em>stop </em>it? He couldn't <em>stand </em>it, the voice was crushing him, swallowing him whol-</p><p>The Demon Lord of Ink stood once more, giggling madly to himself. What was he doing again? Ah, yes, of course, that was it!</p><p>Murdering Saotome's fiancée right before her eyes!</p><p>The time of his victory had finally arrived, and he couldn't even express the pent-up desire that he had to kill the annoying blue haired girl. Smiling once more, Brushogun turned to regard the bound female lying on her back (as opposed to the bound female hanging from the cross). Hmm, odd, for some reason the redhead was staring at him strangely. A look somewhere between fear and confusion painted on her delicate features.</p><p>Well, hardly time to worry about something like that. "I'd like to thank you, Saotome. You've made my victory more memorable than I possibly could have imagined. Your struggle was righteous and valiant right to the end. It's almost a shame it must end, but they say that all good things do. Now, there's only one piece of business left to finish before I shuffle you loose from the mortal coil. Don't worry, though, won't take but a second," he explained cheerfully.</p><p>With eager swiftness, the demon turned away from the bound redhead towards his next victim, towards the bound form of Akane Tendo. He could see the terror building in the blue haired girl's eyes as he gazed at her. He licked his lips hungrily, her muffled shouts only stoking that hunger. Oh! Oh, how he'd been waiting for this moment. After a full week of being insulted and criticized by this shrill shrew, the only real question was just how long he could prolong her agony before the end.</p><p>"H-hey! What... are you <em>doing</em>?" the question was forced out of Saotome's gasping lungs.</p><p>He turned for a moment, looking at the pigtailed girl over his shoulder. He manufactured his most malicious expression for her benefit. "Don't play coy, Saotome. You know very well what I'm about to do. Don't worry though, I'm not needlessly cruel. You'll be joining her soon enough."</p><p>Instantly, he felt the strain of her struggles triple in intensity! The demon nearly wavered at the sudden ferocity in the slight female but managed to maintain his hold on the girl. Brushogun let out a malevolent chuckle, taking another step forward; his eyes still firmly watching the struggling martial artist behind him. Saotome's face was nearly as red as her hair, her back arching all the way out of the ink (in what looked to be an extremely painful manner) as she struggled to break her ink bonds.</p><p>"<em>Don't do it</em>! For the love of God, <em>don't do it</em>!" Saotome's cry split the night, her voice cracking in helpless anguish. Somehow, the girl found the strength to roll over and flop up to kneel on her knees. Even though her arms and legs were held immobile, she used the motion of her entire body to begin hopping herself forward.</p><p>Brushogun didn't even bother responding, he lifted his arm to the heavens above. The claws of his hand extended once more, curving and splitting into horrifyingly jagged blades that promised an agonizing end. He turned to face Akane one more. The look of terror on her face had deepened greatly and tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks as she stared back at him.</p><p>"<em>Brushogun</em>!" Saotome's shout drew his attention again. Starting to get annoyed, he turned to face her once more, his guillotine hand still held high for the killing stroke. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw, though. She was still bound as tightly as ever, but the desperate and angry expression was gone, he couldn't even identify the look on her face, but it was strangely chilling. She looked up at him and he would have sworn that she was already dead.</p><p>"I can't stop you, but I swear on my soul: if you kill her, it will be the <em>last </em>thing that you ever do." The words were delivered with a chilling finality that went against everything that Brushogun knew of the spirited martial artist. Brushogun stared in wonder for a moment, before shaking off the odd feeling.</p><p>"I appreciate your composure. The heroine should never meet their end blubbering like a child. It would be positively embarrassing. Heh, let's see just how long you can maintain that icy demeanor! Watch, helpless, and let me hear you beg!"</p><p>He turned back one final time, glaring hatefully at the crucified daughter of the Tendo clan. He raised his bladed hand higher in the air.</p><p>"No – <strong><em>No</em>!"</strong></p><p>He drank in the frantic cries.</p><p>"Please!... P-please don't!" Saotome's voice cracked painfully, he could hear the suffering in her voice clearly now. This moment just couldn't be any more perfect! But he'd dawdled enough, it was time to end it. With blinding speed, he lashed out-</p><p>"<em>I love her</em>!"</p><p>Brushogun narrowed his eyes to avoid the spray of gore...</p><p>Except it never came. He stared in confusion at what he saw... the tips of his claws were resting, perfectly still, several inches away from Tendo Akane's pale trachea. W-why wasn't she dead? He tried to push the blades forward... but they <em>would not </em>move! What was going on? He tried again, bringing all his will to bear on slitting the girl's throat. His hand began to shake from the strain, but still, he couldn't move!</p><p><em>'He loves her</em>.'</p><p>Huh? That voice, where had it come from? It sounded familiar; he could have sworn he recognized it... from somewhere.</p><p>
  <em>'We loved someone as well, more than life itself.'</em>
</p><p>Still paralyzed, the demon couldn't even whip his head around to look for the source of the voice! What was it talking about? He was a <em>demon</em>! He didn't love, was utterly incapable of it. His entire existence was to bring pain and suffering and death to everyone around him.</p><p>
  <em>'That's how all of this got started. Don't you remember?'</em>
</p><p>The Ink Demon fell back, clutching his head. It felt like his skull was trying to burst open! What did it mean, remember what? An image flashed through its mind, faster than it could comprehend. A painting – it had been a painting... A painting of a woman. Other details began to fall into place: a ceremony, candles, an all-consuming blackness. And something else...</p><p>Something that wasn't an image, or an object, or anything that he could touch at all. It was a feeling, it swelled up in his chest when the image of the woman had crossed his mind. But what did it <em>mean</em>? What was this agonizing pain that wanted to tear his chest open for the world to see?</p><p>
  <em>'This isn't what we wanted, all we wanted... was her...'</em>
</p><p>"Shut up, <em>shut up, <strong>shut up” </strong></em>He slammed a hand across his head, trying to drum out the voice. This <em>is </em>what he wanted! Death and destruction, the world cowering in fear, it was everything that he existed for! He couldn't be swayed at the last minute. "No! The woman dies, <em>now</em>!"</p><p>"The <strong><em>hell</em> </strong>she does!"</p><p>Brushogun's internal struggle was quelled instantly by the shout. Almost on instinct, he turned to face Saotome... only to see that the redheaded female was still bound tightly, kneeling in the center of the street. However, this time a wry smirk was plastered across the ink-stained girl's face. Saotome just shook her head, her smirk growing into a full-blown grin. She gestured to something behind Brushogun with a nod of her chin. "Wrong way, Brushy."</p><p>What! Brushogun turned to see what she was talking about...</p><p>Just in time to watch Lieutenant Uehara Daizo leap madly from the second story window above him! The officer's trench coat flared out like a pair of brown leather batwings as the old man plummeted through the air; the man's matching fedora flying right off his head. Brushogun's eyes widened in shock and incomprehension. He was still alive?</p><p>Just before the officer hit the ground and broke every bone in his body, his fall jerked to a stop about a foot above the pavement. It had been stopped by the long white hose that was wrapped around the Lieutenant's left arm and disappeared back into the window he'd just jumped out of. In a flash, he disentangled his arm from the hose and clamped his left hand over the bright red piece of metal that was firmly grasped in his right hand -</p><p>The bright red nozzle of the hotel's emergency fire hose!</p><p>"Welcome to the twentieth century, you anachronistic son of a bitch!"</p><p>"Say hello to indoor plumbing!"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Saotome Ranma nearly exploded with laughter at the sight of old man Uehara diving out the second story window of the hotel. Damn, but that old man was crazy! Before the damned ink demon even had a chance to react, the officer fired off a crude remark, then blasted Brushogun point blank with the fire hose.</p><p>The high-pressure stream of water slammed into the demon's chest with enough force to knock the bastard head over heels to crash bodily to the ground. Ink and paper went flying in huge gouts in every direction as the fire hose tore the demon apart. This time, Brushogun's howls of pain were every bit reality.</p><p>"M-<em>mercy</em>!"</p><p>At the unexpected cry, the cop cut off the brutal attack. The spray of water ended to reveal the much-diminished form of Brushogun, half kneeling, half groveling, with a handheld out before him to staunch the powerful stream of water. The demon was no longer the eight-foot giant that had loomed over them, now he was simply a man wrapped in grayish blackish paper. He looked a bit like a sad, sad version of one of those mummies he'd heard so much about. Rather surprising, though, was the arm which was held out to protect the demon... the paper had been torn away to reveal that flesh and blood still existed beneath it, the shreds of paper hanging limply around his elbow.</p><p>Uehara smirked wildly at the sight. "Mercy is the mark of a great man, so they say."</p><p>Without warning, the old man turned on the fire hose again, battering the reeling demon back to the ground. The assault lasted for a few gratifying seconds before the Lieutenant shut if off again. This time, it revealed a half naked man, wrapped loosely with several deteriorating strips of ink-stained paper. One of the demon's white, empty eyes was gone completely, a pale blue eye blinked rapidly, unable to deal with even the pale light of the night.</p><p>Daizo's smirk widened into a grin. "Guess that makes me just a good man."</p><p>Brushogun let out a gasp, slowly trying to push himself back up to his hands and knees – Only to be knocked down again when Daizo suddenly cut loose on him again with the hose! This time the spray of water pummeled Brushogun until not a drop of black water filled the pavement around him for several yards. Finally, after a seeming eternity, Daizo cut off the hose again. All that remained of Brushogun was the unconscious form of an old man, withered with age and covered with bruises.</p><p>Ranma stared at the Lieutenant in shock, even as her bonds dissolved into nothing. As she slowly rose to her feet, gingerly rubbing her sore limbs, she continued to gaze at the old cop.</p><p>The Lieutenant looked back at her, still smiling, he dropped the hose then simply shrugged.</p><p>"Meh, I'm alright."</p><p>Almost immediately, at the sight of their commanding officer taking down the demon, uniformed officers began pouring out of doorways and alleys from every imaginable angle. Without any need for direction, the men immediately set about securing the unconscious form of the unconscious ink demon. Of course, Ranma ignored them completely, still laughing from the sheer insanity that was the Lieutenant.</p><p>Ranma's bark of laughter doubled, when without warning, Akane practically tackle hugged the old officer. Her fiancée planted an affectionate kiss on the old man's cheek as she continued to squeeze the life out of him. The pigtailed girl just shook her head in amusement and moved forward to join them.</p><p>"You saved me! <em>You</em> saved me! Heh, who would have imagined, out of everyone here, that it would be <em>you </em>to save the day?" exclaimed the exasperated Tendo breathlessly.</p><p>The redheaded martial artist snickered loudly at the look on the cop's face at <em>that </em>comment. "Heh heh heh, yeah, good job, old man. Looks like you really saved the day. Of course, <strong><em>I</em></strong> did all the real work, but I'm man enough to admit that even someone as great as <em>me </em>needs a <em>little </em>help sometimes."</p><p>"Ha! You sure coulda fooled me, <em>Ranko</em>," replied the smirking officer. The old man then shook his own head in amusement. "Still, hero or not, saving the day or not, all I know is this: there's <em>no way in hell</em> that I'm filling out the paperwork on the mess that you <em>damn kids</em> made of my city! C'mon, let's get out of here and find your little buddies. If we're lucky, we can get out of here fast enough that they'll have to stick someone else with filing the report."</p><p>That said, the Lieutenant disentangled himself from the giggling Akane and started angrily stomping through the gathering crowd in a seemingly random direction. Ranma chuckled to herself, the old man obviously had no idea where their friends were. Hmm, it sure felt like she was forgetting something, something important too. Damn fight, she was so mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, she could barely even stand.</p><p>Luckily, she didn't have to. Akane sidled up beside her, offering her a warm, comfortable shoulder to lean on. Her fiancée gazed at her warmly as she helped her to walk. "Do you still think that you aren't cut out for this hero stuff, Ranma?" she asked teasingly.</p><p>Still not able to remember whatever it was that was slipping her mind, she just shrugged it away for later. "Heh, if I ever gotta go through somethin' like that again... hell, I can't even think of anything funny to say to go with that..."</p><p>Akane shook her head, smiling sweetly. After a few more steps, the smile changed slightly, melting into what could only be described as a sly smile. "Soooo, about what you said back there," she asked leadingly.</p><p>Instantly, Ranma found a hidden reserve of strength to walk on her own. Without even looking back, for fear of Akane seeing her burning red cheeks, Ranma power walked to catch up to the aimlessly stalking officer ahead of them. She bravely ignored Akane's annoyed calling of her name and fell into step beside the old man, making an effort out of not looking at <em>anyone</em>.</p><p>"Hey, Lieutenant. I ain't exactly an expert... but aren't we living in the twenty <em>first</em> century now?"</p><p>"Oh, Shut up!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.</p><p> </p><p>Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ranma let out a shuddering sigh as she took another sip of the hot chocolate that one of the nice officers had brought her. For now, the chocolaty deliciousness of the beverage overrode her desire to just dump the warm liquid over her head. She had no idea why, but she <em>really </em>liked chocolate when she was a girl. Focusing on the soothing liquid also helped to distract her from the very prominent pain in the neck she was experiencing.</p><p>She winced as the paramedic used the needle to loop another stitch into the cut on her neck.</p><p>The pigtailed girl had to concede that literal pains in the neck were much more annoying than the metaphorical ones. Luckily, it was nothing serious; she didn't even remember getting it, but when it comes to the neck... even a centimeter deeper and she likely wouldn't have been there sipping down a steaming mug of hot cocoa.</p><p>Ranma let out another sigh, this one more out of frustration than satisfaction. Even though she was sitting in the back of an ambulance getting stitches, her metaphorical pains in the neck were still living up to their names. Ryu was laying on the stretcher opposite to her, glaring daggers the whole time. The Kumon heir had been restrained for his own safety, or so the paramedics had said, anyway. From what Ranma could see, the guy didn't look too seriously injured.</p><p>Hmm, maybe she shouldn't have explained her grand victory in <em>quite</em> such exquisite detail to the bound boy... Ahh, who was she kidding? Having a captive audience had only made it all the sweeter!</p><p>Her other pain in the neck, affectionately known as her 'uncute fiancée', was pacing the street behind the open back of the ambulance. Luckily, she'd bought Ranma's line that there wasn't any more room in the ambulance for Akane, what with Ryu in there and the paramedic needing to check up on both. She knew it was just a matter of time... She could see it on her face, Akane was just <em>dying </em>to bug her about that... thing she'd said during the fight.</p><p>Man! What'd she been <em>thinking</em>? The second that their fathers got wind of what she'd said, and she'd be trussed up in a tuxedo faster than she could switch genders! That left her with two options; face it like a man and marry the girl, or lie her tight, toned ass off and hope that it blew over before every fiancée, rival and fledgling super villain currently spread to the four corners of the world descended on her head like a Perfect Shi Shi Houkodan.</p><p>She chuckled evilly to herself. Like <em>that </em>was a hard choice.</p><p>Her diabolical plotting was delayed, as a familiar pair of voices approached the back of the ambulance. She cocked her head to see what was going on, only to wince as the paramedic forcefully twisted her head back to where it was, muttering something under his breath about uncooperative patients. A moment later, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsume and Kurumi wander into view. Both girls looked like hell and were wearing bulky police blankets, but at least they were conscious and mobile. The older sister wandered up to Akane and bowed weakly, even as the younger one waddled up to wrap her in a large hug.</p><p>"Thank goodness you are alright, Akane. We were so worried for your safety," said Natsume, relief in her voice.</p><p>Akane giggled weakly, still probably shaken up from the whole experience. "Worried about me? What about the two of <em>you</em>? I just got kidnapped, <em>you</em> guys had a whole <em>building </em>dropped on you! I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're safe!" Akane then leaned forward and wrapped the reluctant brunette into a hug as well.</p><p>The hug ended a solid minute later, when Natsume turned to look in the back of the ambulance. Her head tilted curiously as she looked over the vehicle's occupants. "Ranma, are you well?" she asked curiously.</p><p>Ranma just waved off her concern casually. "Course I am! This is <em>me</em> we're talkin' bout here. I mean, I'm not nearly as bad off as poor Ryu here, all tied up and no place to go," she replied cheerfully.</p><p>"<em>Saotome</em>!"</p><p>Ryu began to struggle against his bindings, when the paramedic tending to Ranma quickly turned and glared at the young man. "Listen here, <em>sir</em>. If you don't stop struggling, I'll have to sedate you, and considering that you just survived having most of a city block dropped on your head, I'd hate to have to jab you with a needle thirty-five times just to make sure it actually worked."</p><p>Kumon considered those words for a moment, paling slightly, then quickly ceased his struggles. A moment later, the boy turned to look at the wall beside him, grumbling the whole time. While that was happening, Natsume quickly stuck her head into the back of the vehicle. Apparently, she hadn't noticed the Kumon boy in there before, because as soon as she saw him, a sly smile grew on her face.</p><p>"Oh, my, I'm sorry, Ryu. That was terribly rude of me not to notice you there... strapped down to a stretcher... completely unable to move..." Hmm, on second thought, maybe sly wasn't the right word for that smile. If Ranma had to choose, she'd say the smile was positively <em>predatory</em>. A second later, Natsume hopped up into the ambulance and squeezed by her and the paramedic to sit at Ryu's side, smile growing every second.</p><p>Ranma chuckled again, at Akane's sudden outburst. "Hey! I thought you said there wasn't anymore room in there?" she barked in annoyance.</p><p>The pigtailed girl could only grin cockily, "Heh, well, there ain't <em>now</em>, 'Kane." Hmm, maybe her smirk was a bit much, judging by the stormy look settling over her fiancée's otherwise cute face. It looked like an explosion was imminent, when-</p><p>"Excuse me, Mr. Ranma...," Kurumi called out shyly. Immediately, all the overactive emotions died away, as everyone turned to regard the cocooned little girl. The youngest Tendo gazed up at her with those enormous, shimmering eyes of hers, almost making her wince.</p><p>"...Do you know where Mr. Thunder and his brother are? No one here wants to tell me where they are... and-and I haven't seen either of them since I woke up. You can tell me where they are, right, Mr. Ranma?" The hopeful tone in the young girl's voice caused everyone around her to suddenly begin investigating their shoes with the utmost care.</p><p>Everyone but Ranma, that was.</p><p>Akane gently gathered Kurumi up into another tender hug, a look of depression on her face that would have looked much more at home on Ryouga's. "Oh... oh, Kurumi. I'm <em>so </em>sorry, but... but they didn't make it... T-that giant robot..."</p><p>Though it didn't seem possible, Kurumi's eyes seemed to grow even larger and... uh, more shimmery. The young martial artist didn't seem to understand what she was hearing and turned to face him again. Ranma was fairly sure the girl was just seconds away from bursting into tears. "Mr. Ranma... is that true? Are t-they really <em>gone</em>?" she asked in a voice quickly filling with sadness.</p><p>Ranma seriously considered the girl's question and how to answer it... before finally just shrugging.</p><p>"Feh, of course not!"</p><p>Akane gasped loudly, "<em>Ranma</em>! How could you say that? We all saw it happen with our own eyes!"</p><p>The red-haired martial artist just waved a dismissive hand. "What're ya talkin' bout, Akane? All we saw was an energy blast goin' through a cloud. I didn't see nobody get hit by it, did you?" she asked teasingly. At the sudden look of shock spreading over her fiancée's face, she continued happily, "Sure, when I first saw it happen, I was shocked as hell, but after goin' over the whole thing with Ryu here, I put a little more thought into it. Think about it, from the time that Brushogun made the elevator, to the time that EVA fired, nearly twenty-four seconds went by. Do you <em>really </em>think that those two guys wouldn't notice something like an eight-story positron rifle getting pointed their way in all that time?"</p><p>The hopeful expression returned to Kurumi's face, even as a confused one descended on Akane's. Behind Ranma, Natsume and Ryu were whispering something back and forth, damn, she really wished she could hear what they were saying... not that she was nosy or anything...</p><p>"But Ranma... then why did the storm stop right after?" Akane asked, sounding confused.</p><p>"Because we waited until the absolute last moment to move," answered a deep, rumbling voice.</p><p>Everyone turned in shock, except Ranma whose head was twisted back to where it was by an irate paramedic. She glared at the older man, only to receive a look which seemed to say, 'that sedative offer is still open, buddy.' Needless to say, she calmed down quite quickly.</p><p>Everyone that <em>wasn't</em> being manhandled or strapped down to a stretcher, spun around to gaze in wonder at the speaker. Standing several yards away was Thunder, the large elemental wore heavy bandages over his right shoulder, most of his arm and across at least half of his chest. The dark-skinned hero was also leaning heavily onto his significantly smaller brother for support. Lightning wore a broad smile on his narrow face.</p><p>"Indeed! Were it not for our magnificent storm, Saotome would have been swatted like a gnat!"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"So, we bravely continued our assault as long as possible, for we knew that once we stopped, that mechanical abomination would not have given us another chance to start the storm anew. In that way, <strong>Thunder </strong>and <em>Lightning</em> are truly the heroes of the day!" boasted the pale skinned youth.</p><p>Gritting her teeth in frustration, Ranma leaned out the back of the ambulance and glared at the arrogant elemental. "Um, yeah, cept the robot <em>blew up </em>right after it shot at ya! You coulda dodged outta the way and kept the rain goin for the rest of the fight if ya did that. All you guys ended up doin was softenin him up for me, I still did all the real work!"</p><p>Thunder scratched his chin, looking a tad embarrassed. "...Yes, well, had we <em>known</em> that the robot would destroy itself... then, perhaps, we... <em>could</em> have done that... yes..."</p><p>Ranma smirked at her victory, only to have the sweetness of it stolen by Kurumi suddenly breaking out of whatever trance she had been in and running forward to wrap her arms tightly around both brothers. Thunder winced mightily at the contact, and Lightning just started looking around uncomfortably, searching for an escape. Then, Kurumi suddenly took a step back and punched the larger boy in the (unburnt) shoulder!</p><p>"If you guys were fine this whole time, why didn't you come back before now? Do you have any idea how <em>worried </em>I was?" she demanded in a defiant, yet cute manner. Her adorable lecture brought color to both boys' cheeks, even the alabaster skinned Lightning. Whether out of embarrassment over getting chewed out by the cutest little girl in the world, or over the fact that someone had been concerned for them, Ranma had no idea. Eventually, Lightning just shrugged.</p><p>"Actually... we've been in the ambulance right beside this one the whole time. We came down here right after the attack before any of you even awoke. We only just came out now, because we heard your conversation come to encompass us...," explained the pale elemental.</p><p>Ranma winced, ouch, that was gonna cost them. For some reason, girls didn't like getting all worried over nothing, no matter how good the reason-</p><p>Luckily, any further tongue-lashing was delayed, as another familiar face appeared around the corner of the ambulance. Lieutenant Daizo seemed to give everyone present a quick once over before he finally began speaking.</p><p>"So, all you kid all right?" asked the fedora-wearing officer.</p><p>Various nods and quick affirmatives answered the old man-</p><p>"I'm <em>strapped</em> to a <em>stretcher</em>, old man! Someone get me <em>out of</em> this thing!"</p><p>Daizo considered the responses, then shrugged absently.</p><p>"Meh, close enough. Look, here, kids... you all did real good out there, <em>real good</em>. Every single one of you made this victory possible, and as far as I'm concerned, you're all heroes." The Lieutenant quickly turned to Akane and pointed an accusing finger at her, "Except <em>you</em>, little missy! The next time that I tell you to get to safety, you <em>better </em>listen, eh?"</p><p>The wide-eyed look of shock on the dark-haired girl's face was beyond description. It looked to Ranma, that she was a second away from exploding in anger, or bursting into tears, when-</p><p>Lieutenant Uehara slapped his knee, chuckling obnoxiously. "Nah! I'm just messing with you, Miss Tendo. You got some real guts; I'll give you that. Of course, maybe next time, you won't act so damn amazed that an old man like me was the one to save the day, heh."</p><p>Everyone present winced, as Lieutenant Uehara Daizo was finally, and indisputably inducted into the Nerima family by Akane's mallet. Luckily, it was a small one, and Akane was struggling hard to maintain her look of indignant anger, even as a disbelieving smile was worming its way onto her lips.</p><p>A moment later, Daizo was back on his feet and pushing the large dent out of his favorite hat. He muttered to himself darkly, something about 'mallets', 'crazy girls' and 'the martial artists they liked'. After dusting himself off a bit and glaring a bit more at the official Tendo girl, the officer let out another gruff chuckle of his own.</p><p>"Heh, guess I was asking for that one. Anyway, I'm not the only one that thinks you kids are heroes. The mayor wants to do a big PR thing in front of the station later tonight to honor us, or something ridiculous like that."</p><p>The whole lot of them gasped. A little surprised, though she wasn't sure why, Ranma leaned forward excitedly, "They wanna honor <em>us</em>? With a big ceremony?" she asked in disbelief.</p><p>The various confused and excited stares from everyone else surrounding her seemed to mirror her sentiments. Daizo just looked at them like they were all crazy.</p><p>"Um, yeah. You kids just saved the city, hell, probably all of Japan. Why on earth <em>wouldn't </em>they want to give you an award or something?" asked the incredulous cop.</p><p>Hmm, Ranma thought about that, looking to Akane for a moment. The dark-haired girl returned her mystified glance with a mystified shrug. It seemed like a good thing to do, so Ranma shrugged too.</p><p>"Hmm, I dunno, no one's ever actually been <em>happy </em>about us tearin' up the city before. I figured just not havin to clean up the mess would be reward enough, really," she muttered quietly.</p><p>The Lieutenant rolled his eyes, probably not sure that <em>wasn't </em>enough of a reward. "Look, all I know is that the Mayor wants everyone looking nice for the photo-op, so if you kids are finished bleeding all over the place, why don't I get you guys a ride home so you can get cleaned up and changed?" he asked cordially.</p><p>Ahhh, at that moment, the thought of a hot bath was quite possibly the most wonderful thing she could ever have imagined... even if she would have to share it with Ryu.</p><p>"Hey! Unless you guys have all forgotten, I'm not going <em>anywhere</em> while I'm stuck in this metal torture device!" barked the irate Yamasen-ken master.</p><p>Natsume nodded agreeably, odd smile still on her lips. "That is correct, this is quite a predicament."</p><p>Suddenly, the unarguable master of the Female School of Indiscriminate Grappling turned to the paramedic that was just now finishing up the stitches on Ranma's neck. The smile on her lips took on a look that could only be described as impish.</p><p>"Could you possibly let us <em>borrow</em> this stretcher for the night?"</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Akane let out a long sigh of contentment as she leaned lazily against her fiancé's perfectly toned arm. She noticed the pigtailed boy's body temperature rose a bit as she did, but the extra warmth was just that much cozier. After everything she'd been through over the past week, not even the relaxing bath she'd shared with Natsume and Kurumi had been enough warmth for her, so she greedily stole the larger boy's heat for herself.</p><p>All around the table, the rest of her companion's sat. Most everyone's numerous bandages and bindings had been judiciously hidden beneath their clothing and, asides from a few band-aids covering a few cheeks, looked relatively healthy. It was surprising, considering just how close everyone had come to dying.</p><p>Akane and Ranma were sitting comfortably at the head of the table. Kurumi, Natsume and Ryu were seated on the left side, while Thunder, Lightning and Mr. Saotome were lined up on the other side. At the other end of the table, her daddy was sitting, beaming with pride and relief. After hearing about the celebration that was planned, her father had been overjoyed and had nearly torn apart the house in search of something for his daughter's saviors to wear.</p><p>Kurumi was wearing one of Akane's dresses from a few years ago, a cute saffron sundress that she'd used to wear all the time. She had to admit, it looked good on the younger martial artist. Natsume was wearing a rather fetching blouse and skirt combination borrowed from Nabiki's closet, Akane was almost a little jealous over how well the woman filled out the ensemble. Sitting moodily beside the reserved brunette, Ryu was wearing one of her father's sweaters, and a sharp pair of slacks. Beside her, Ranma was wearing his white, sleeveless mandarin shirt; it always looked so good on him that she wondered why he didn't wear it more often.</p><p>Thunder and Lightning still wore their usual outfits but had somehow managed to clean and repair them... odd, that.</p><p>Even though everyone was freshly bathed and nicely dressed, the mood of the room was one of shell-shocked silence. Though their fathers looked ready to burst out in congratulations at the drop of a hat, even they seemed to pick up on the vacant gazes and somber silence as almost everyone at the table stared aimlessly into space.</p><p>She could hardly blame all her friends, old and new. Sure, they had won, but it had been a close thing. Each and everyone one of them had faced their own mortality that day. Oddly, she was the only one not seriously affected by the fight, probably because she'd spent the entire week facing her mortality and coming to terms with the very real possibility that she could die at any moment. It was a most humbling experience... and the people that surrounded the table before her were not so easily humbled.</p><p>It was almost getting annoying, this heavy silence that engulfed them all. She was about to break it, when-</p><p>Suddenly her father leaned forward, a plaintiff expression on his face.</p><p>"Everyone! Please, why are you all so sullen? You've accomplished a momentous feat this day, defeating a powerful demon the likes of which we have never fought before. Now is a time for celebration! Allow me to express my gratitude for all that you have done in protecting the city and rescuing my precious Akane." Her father smiled widely and made sure to match gazes with every single warrior that sat around the table.</p><p>Before he could continue, Thunder raised a hand up to stop him. Shaking his head in humble amusement, the large teen spoke quietly. "There is no need to thank us, Mr. Tendo. We did only what was necessary. Your generosity as our host for this past week is more reward than we could possibly ask."</p><p>Ryu crossed his arms tightly across his chest tightly and nodded to himself. The young man then looked up, smirking wickedly. "Feh, as if I care about any of this reward or celebration stuff. I already got what I wanted out of all of this. So, as soon as they finish parading us around and having us kiss babies or whatever crap they want us to do, I'm out of here."</p><p>Akane gasped in shock at the boy's words. "What do you mean by that?" she asked in disbelief. Hadn't he been just as dedicated to beating Brushogun as everyone else had? And why was Natsume looking at the boy so oddly now?</p><p>The Kumon Heir just shrugged. "My Art has been restored, that's all I ever wanted out of you people. I've dedicated most of my life to the Yamasen-ken, did you really think I would give up on it that easily? I mean, did you even question <em>what </em>the odds were that I would just <em>happen </em>to wander into your neck of the woods just as a huge situation was developing?"</p><p>She saw a gamut of emotions run across Ranma's face as he considered Ryu's words, then a look of understanding suddenly bloomed. The pigtailed boy snapped his fingers loudly. "Saico-Tek! You saw the first fight on TV!"</p><p>The Yamasen-ken master nodded, looking particularly smug. "Exactly. That fight caught my attention, though just enough to make me change direction. It was the fights that followed it that really put the idea into my head. Every fight I saw, as I made my way back to Tokyo, was pushing you harder than the last. Couple that with the fact that the only back up you got was from an aging police officer with a laser pointer... and I <em>knew </em>that you'd jump at the chance to get some help. Of course, I had no idea that I'd get attacked by that cat girl, but really, it just made my plan work out even better."</p><p>Natsume raised a hand, looking as if she was half reaching towards the bandanna clad boy, the look on her face becoming even more unfamiliar to Akane.</p><p>"...Ryu, is all of that true?" Natsume asked in an uncharacteristically weak voice.</p><p>The silent question seemed to catch Ryu off-guard, as if he had forgotten that the girl was sitting right beside him this whole time. Just like Ranma, a moment earlier, Ryu's face was besieged by conflicting emotions. It passed so quickly that Akane wondered if it had happened at all, but then Ryu let out a loud snort, before looking away and staring at the far sliding door.</p><p>"Hmmph. That's right. Know that I'd do <em>anything </em>to rebuild my family's dojo. I would lie, cheat, or steal to get what I want... Is it that surprising to find out that I'd even sink so low as to help protect the innocent and save a girl I hardly knew from a powerful demon as well?" he asked somewhat sardonically.</p><p><em>That</em> seemed to bring everyone's racing minds screeching to a stop. That was precisely what he had done... wasn't it? He'd done the right thing for his own reasons, as opposed to just out of the goodness of his heart, like so many other heroes that she knew. C-could she possibly fault him for that?</p><p>"Ryu...," Natsume whispered quietly, staring at the young man with wide eyes.</p><p>Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by a gale of laughter from the other side of the table.</p><p>"Ha! Truly a maneuver worthy of the master of the Yamasen-ken!" bellowed Uncle Saotome uproariously. "No, not just that. Boy, I believe you've transcended the simplistic nature of the Noisy thief. Without even stating your demands, you've managed steal what you want <em>without stealing at all</em>! By using your knowledge of my son and the information offered to you by the news reports, you came up with a plan that convinced Ranma to <em>give </em>you what you wanted without even having to ask for it. Ingenious!"</p><p>It was Ranma's turn to grunt in annoyance. The pigtailed boy crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the side as well, a somewhat petulant look on his face. "Hmph, wasn't <em>that </em>ingenious..."</p><p>She quickly stifled the giggle that threatened to escape her lips. Uncle Saotome could be so strange at times; only he would consider exchanging fair service for something you wanted to be theft.</p><p>Again, her father silenced everyone, this time with a loud clearing of his throat.</p><p>"Very well then. Whatever your intentions were for doing so, I am still eternally grateful to all three of you young men for saving my daughter. That you are so noble as to desire no reward... only humbles an old man like myself!" Akane rolled her eyes as her father dramatically draped his arm over his eyes and openly wept with pride. Then, in a move so swift that anyone that wasn't his daughter would have been flabbergasted, her father suddenly switched gears and was all smiles again.</p><p>"However!" he cheered excitedly. "I have an important announcement to tell you all. Though none of you know this: while the lot of you were training so diligently, Saotome and I have been out to speak to our family's lawyer about a subject near and dear to my heart..."</p><p>Ranma snorted loudly, lazily crossing his arms behind the back of his head. "You two got so desperate to join the schools, yer gettin married yourselves?"</p><p>Akane quickly covered her mouth in a feeble attempt to hold in the laugh that threatened to burst out. All around the table, snickers, giggles, and full-blown laughter was met by indignant sputtering before her father finally calmed everyone down again.</p><p>Glaring weakly at the pigtailed boy, her daddy took a long breath, before continuing. "As I was <em>saying</em>: Saotome and I spoke to my lawyer on this topic and, much to my joy, he told us, provided they agree to it... that he would begin the paperwork to adopt Natsume and Kurumi into the Tendo clan immediately!"</p><p>Dead silence hung in the air...</p><p>Every pair of eyes in the room was suddenly focused upon a gawking pair of speechless young ladies. Even they were staring at each other, eyes wide with incomprehension. Much to Akane's surprise, no one shouted out an alarmed interrogative, or even a gasp of surprise. It almost felt like the entire world had ground to a halt, just waiting to see what came next.</p><p>Predictably, Natsume was the first to regain her composure. Wide, shimmering eyes cooled to the crisp perfection of a mountain lake; whose stillness belied the true depths of her thoughts. The pony tailed warrior took a long breath before replying.</p><p>"Your offer is a generous one, Mr. Tendo... however-"</p><p>Natsume was cut off, as Akane's father leaned forward, passion in his eyes.</p><p>"Please, don't be so rash, Natsume! At the very least, stay with us for a time before you make your decision," pleaded her father passionately.</p><p>The young woman being questioned took a moment to look to her younger sister, before turning back to the longhaired martial artist, a slightly suspicious look in her eyes. What followed was the single word that was on the mind of every person present.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>It was delivered with an undercurrent that ran far deeper than simple curiosity... perhaps even bitterness. Her father obviously caught the sharpness of her question and looked down in shame.</p><p>"These past months have been... hard for me. So many terrible things have befallen my beloved daughters... I've watched my two eldest abducted from right before my eyes, even as I lay helpless to stop it. Then my youngest daughter bravely ran into the very heart of danger, just to save them. To know that I came within a hair’s breadth of losing each of my daughters again and again lately... It has forced me to remember just how truly precious and tenuous family can be.</p><p>"I know, just as well as you, that I am not your true father, but since you have reappeared under my roof, I have thought continuously of our last meeting. It forced me to remember the pain of losing my dear wife, to relive the heartache of losing someone so very, very precious to me... It was then, that I realized just how much the two of you must have suffered. Living without a family almost your entire lives? Your only desire to find your father, purely out of love? What I have experienced lately has been only a pale reflection of what the two of you have lived through for most of your lives. And yet... and yet, as soon as it was convenient, I sent you on your way into an uncaring world..."</p><p>Everyone watched in silence as the aging martial artist drew the sleeve of his dark brown gi across his eyes, dashing his tears.</p><p>"And yet, even after I turned you away, the two of you were still compassionate enough to come to the aid of my dear Akane... Such noble girls you are! So please... please, after all you have been through, after all you have done for me, please consider my offer more carefully. A home and a loving family are the least you deserve, and the Tendo clan would be all the greater for having you."</p><p>Again, all eyes slid back to gaze on Akane's would-be – no, on her <em>could</em>-be sisters. Natsume bit her knuckle as she stared anxiously at her sister. For her part, Kurumi gazed back with huge, glistening eyes that bespoke of a kind of hope that even a girl her age really didn't have any right to possess anymore.</p><p>Slowly, Natsume looked up, "... I... I don't k-"</p><p>Only to be cut off by Kurumi. The young brunette glared at her sister heatedly and raised a threatening fist. "Big Sister! You'd <em>better</em> say yes, or so help me, I'll punch you <em>soooo</em> hard!"</p><p>The Eldest of the quasi-Tendo sisters looked at Kurumi's upraised fist and adorable glower for several incomprehensible seconds... Akane was starting to wonder just what the ponytail wearing girl was going to do...</p><p>When Natsume suddenly laughed and laughed again! Soon, the normally cool and composed young woman was completely subsumed in a tidal wave of laughter that, were it any other girl, Akane would have called a giggle fit. It didn't last long, just enough to infect everyone else at the table with the sudden release of the palpable tension. When she finally recovered, Natsume wiped an errant tear from her eye, before sitting back up again, tiny smile hanging on her lips.</p><p>"Well, then. I suppose, for Kurumi's sake, and for the sake of my own well being, we shall... consider your offer further. At least for a few more days," stated the aloof woman in an amused tone.</p><p>"<strong><em>Hurray</em></strong>!"</p><p>Kurumi's exuberant cheer seemed to remind the rest of the people at the table that this wasn't just some soap opera they were watching through a television screen. Within moments, the room filled with chattering of congratulations and exclamations of happiness. Akane herself was more than overjoyed and shared her opinion quite freely with her soon to be sisters.</p><p>A moment later, while Natsume and Kurumi were distracted by Ryu and the other boys, Ranma leaned towards her and gently nudged her in the ribs. Slightly more curious than annoyed, Akane leaned over, noticing the wide smile on the pigtailed boy's face. When she turned to regard him, the cocky smirk just grew, and he raised a hand to the side of his mouth, as if preparing to share a great secret.</p><p>"Heh, ya know, Akane... I <em>totally</em> saw this coming."</p><p>Akane rolled her eyes in bemusement before whispering back. "Oh, please, Ranma. As if <em>anyone</em> was surprised by that."</p><p>Her fiancé's superior smirk slipped a bit. "And how the heck would <em>you </em>figure that out? You've been kidnapped this entire time, ya dumb Tomboy!"</p><p>"<em>Excuuse</em> me? I'll have you kn-"</p><p>Their budding argument was derailed by a knocking at the front door. Before anyone even had the chance to go answer it, the sound of the door opening was heard. A moment later, the familiar form of Lieutenant Uehara rounded the corner, looking rather handsome in his full-dress uniform. The police officer smiled wryly as he surveyed the circus that the living room had become in the past few minutes.</p><p>"Heh, well look at all of you. I got to admit, you kids clean up good, some of you look halfway respectable now. No, not you, Saotome, but pretty much everyone else."</p><p>Akane giggled at Ranma's indignant outburst. The Lieutenant's cutting wit was much more entertaining when it wasn't aimed in her direction. Before her human comforter had the chance to jump up and argue the point, Daizo gestured for them all to get up with a wide swing of his arm.</p><p>"Okay, okay, enough of that. If all you kids are good to go, then let's get this media circus over with. I just want to get this done with as soon as possible so I can head straight into early retirement," ordered the only halfway respectable authority figure present in the house.</p><p>With a few groans of protest mixed with excited chattering, all the martial artist's around Akane slowly made their way to their feet. Then, in a mass exodus the likes of which she hadn't seen since the last time she waited for the bus.</p><p>As the Lieutenant started to shepherd the lot of them down the hallway and out the front door, the phone started to ring, but she left it for her father to get; after all, she had much more important things to worry about now. Just as she passed the Lieutenant Uehara, he shook his head in amusement at the situation.</p><p>"Ahh... Thank the gods this is all over. If I ever had to deal with another monster like that, I'd lose my mind."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Daizo waved politely to the adoring masses as he finally exited stage left. The cheers of the milling multitudes that literally flooded the streets rang through his ears as he quickly ducked behind the curtain of the massive stage that had been set up especially for this event. He almost couldn't believe how many people had come out; it had almost been like standing on an island amidst a churning sea of humanity.</p><p>As the aging police officer made his way to the stairs, he gently removed his hat and let out a beleaguered sigh. It had been a harrowing experience, being put on display for the people of Tokyo, along with his young compatriots. He'd put on a good show of it, waving and smiling, and all that other stuff that he usually hated to do. The kids had had an amusing array of reactions to the crowd, from smug disinterest to exuberant exhilaration.</p><p>He sighed again as he made his way down the stairs. The weight of the oversized piece of metal hanging from his neck felt more millstone than medal at that moment. Everything had been going so well too. Him and his little posse of quasi-vigilante's had gone up, waved for the nice people, and were quickly ushered off the stage...</p><p>Except for him.</p><p>Not far from the bottom of the stairs, waiting in the wings if you will, were his young companions. The overly wide smiles adorning their faces and the looks of laughter just barely restrained made him decide to pistol whip the first person that so much as made a <em>peep</em>!</p><p>Apparently, the youths saw the stormy look on his face, and valiantly kept their comments to themselves for as long as was humanly possible for the-</p><p>"Congratulations, Mr. Commander!" cheered the overly adorable Kurumi.</p><p>Damn! Grumbling darkly to himself, Daizo discretely placed his pistol back in its holster. And with the silence broken, the laughter and cheers came in gales. Now thoroughly annoyed, Daizo flung out his arm and pointed an accusing finger at his true nemesis.</p><p>"Damnit, Saotome, this is all your fault!"</p><p>For some reason, his angry bark didn't have the effect he had hoped, in fact, it only made the pigtailed martial artist laugh all the harder. Now using his fiancée for support, Saotome struggled to form words around the wheezing laughter.</p><p>"W-what's wrong, heh, <em>Commander</em> Uehara? I mean, it's not every day that you get made the Head Honcho of Tokyo's brand spankin' new Super-Normal Defense Force!"</p><p>The Commander groaned at the violently unnecessary reminder of his esteemed new position. He'd wanted nothing more than to get <em>out </em>of this insanity, and now he was mired in deeper than he imagined was even possible. Hell, he didn't even know why they had picked him, he'd just fluked his way through the entire mess. The only reason that he had even gotten saddled with the case was because he just <em>happened</em> to be the last cop standing when Saotome had made his not so grand entrance onto the scene of that first battle.</p><p>Still, duty was duty, you couldn't exactly say 'no' to the Mayor of Tokyo. Of course, as they say: misery loves company.</p><p>"And it's not every day that you're made my second in command, Saotome. You got me into this mess, so there's no way in hell that I'm letting you leave me holding the bag," Daizo barked back in the least angry tone he could manage.</p><p>The pigtailed boy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.</p><p>"<em>Me</em>?" he asked in shock.</p><p>"<em>Him</em>?" Ryu asked, even more shocked.</p><p>The Commander smirked and shrugged. "Meh, it's union rules, Saotome showed up first, so he's got seniority." He then turned back to face the shocked Saotome. "So, what do you say, Special Agent Saotome? Do you think you've got what it takes?"</p><p>Everyone turned to regard the amusing sight of Ranma being put on the spot like that. The young man hemmed and hawed for a moment, "Um, I dunno, I mean, I am still in school and stuff, ain't that gonna be a problem?"</p><p>Daizo shook his head, his smirk growing into a smile. "Well, of course you'll <em>all</em> still be going to school. You can't become a police officer, even a special agent, without a good education. However, that's no reason that you can't get on the job training after school and on the weekends. And did I mention the fact that the Tokyo Police Force provides excellent scholarships for people that save the city?"</p><p>Natsume perked up noticeably at that fact, she quickly took a step forward, dragging her younger sister with her. "You – you mean that you would provide the money for Kurumi to get a proper education?" she asked hopefully.</p><p>He nodded, quite happy with himself. Sure, there wasn't <em>actually </em>a police scholarship program for people that saved the city, but he'd damned well make sure that there <em>would be</em>. While Saotome and his fiancée were both currently enrolled in school, Daizo understood both not-quite-Tendo girls, and Kumon for that matter, had almost no access to a formal education due to being on their own their whole lives. After all they had done for the city, providing them with that necessity was the least that the city of Tokyo owed them.</p><p>"That's right, from basic tutoring all the way up to university if you want. And that goes for you two as well," he stated, indicating Natsume and then Ryu.</p><p>Even as the pony tailed young woman looked ready to start shedding tears of joy, Ryu looked taken aback at the notion.</p><p>"Me? Why on earth would I want to go back to school? And what makes you think I want to join this foolish defense force of yours anyway?" asked the slightly irate bandanna wearing martial artist.</p><p>"What? After that fuss you put up about Saotome being second in command? I figured you'd jump at the chance to join up."</p><p>Kumon shrugged, even as he turned his back to the gathering. "What do I care about that? I've got the Yamasen-ken back. Now I can finally restore the Kumon family dojo."</p><p>"Kind of hard to build a dojo with no money, isn't it?" The Commander asked leadingly. He nearly chuckled as the young man suddenly turned back, an appraising look in his eyes. The interrogative look on the Kumon boy's face was all the prompting he needed to continue.</p><p>"Now, I'm not saying that rebuilding your family dojo isn't important, but wouldn't it be easier to do if you actually had a steady income? And wouldn't a good education help you attract students when you finally did reopen your dojo? After all, what's the rush? You're still young, I bet there's still a lot more that you'd like to learn and do before you settled down and finally started teaching others, isn't there?"</p><p>Ryu seemed to consider this very intently. Slowly, almost infinitesimally, a small smile started to worm its way onto the young man's face. “You <em>do </em>have a point. I wouldn't exactly say these past few weeks have been fun, but they have shown me both how much I can still improve, as well as how much I still need to." The bandanna clad boy's gaze discretely slid over to encompass certain nearby martial artist and the smile quickly doubled in size. "I suppose it wouldn't <em>kill </em>me to stick around the area for a time and... see how things develop."</p><p>A certain nearby martial artist blushed a very pale pink but didn’t seem to mind the idea. On the other hand, another, shorter martial artist turned green at the very idea and started making gagging sounds behind the other martial artist's back.</p><p>The Commander smiled smugly to himself. Well, with a little guilt tripping and outright bribery, it appeared that he now had a solid core to build his new Super-Normal Defense Force around. Of course, this was just the beginning. Their victory had been far too close of a thing to relax over; when the only thing that tipped the balance in their favor had been an old man with a firehose, it was abundantly clear that relying completely on a small group of martial artists just wouldn't cut it in the future. No, it was a good start, a very good start, but he had a <em>grand </em>vision forming in his mind already.</p><p>And now that he had his core of Japanese citizens accounted for, he finally turned to the two elementals, whom had been watching with interest this whole time. "Heh, I don't suppose you two have visas to work in this country, do you?" he asked jokingly. It'd be a lot of paperwork, but if it could be done, these two boys would be an invaluable resource. Though Thunder and Lightning lacked the skill and talent of Saotome and his team, their raw power outstripped all the martial artists combined. Add to that their ability to fly unaided... yes, valuable indeed.</p><p>If they were interested, anyway.</p><p>Thunder shook his head apologetically. "I am afraid not, though we rarely ever worry about such... mundane facts, we have only Vietnamese and American citizenship. And we don't carry any of the paperwork that would be required to get a... a... what did you call that again?"</p><p>Daizo waved off the question, chuckling wryly. "Don't worry about it. But, you know, I-"</p><p>"It matters not!" Lightning burst into the conversation with stark suddenness, not terribly unlike his namesake. "Now that we have accomplished our goal here, saving you all from the demon Brushogun, it is time for us to depart!"</p><p>The large, dark skinned elemental nodded. "It is true, after defeating the demon, it has become obvious that his was not the terrible power which we have been tracking. We must keep trying to find out what is the source of this great... unrest, which seems to be blanketing the natural world."</p><p>A loud sniff from Kurumi garnered the attention of the group. "You mean – you mean that you're leaving now?" she asked sadly.</p><p>Lightning quickly looked up and away, feigning disinterest as his brother stepped forward and dropped to a knee, opening his arms wide to envelope the comparatively tiny girl. A moment later, he pushed her to arm's length and gifted her with a gentle smile. "Worry not, Miss Kurumi. I doubt our search will take too great a length of time. And if we come across the Titans once more in our search, then we shall get communicators of our own, so that we may keep in touch with you through Ranma's."</p><p>Kurumi sniffed again, before nodding sadly. "Okay, as long as you promise that you won't be away too long. And you <em>better </em>call." The young woman then playfully punched the larger boy in the arm.</p><p>Ranma chuckled loudly. "Heh, well, at least come back to the dojo and hang out some before you take off. I don't think Mr. Tendo would ever forgive you if you guys just took off without say goodbye. Heck, I'm surprised he didn't try to adopt you guys too, just to get a complete set."</p><p>Everyone laughed for a few moments, before calm descended on the group once more. It was Akane's turn to break it this time. "Well, why don't we all head home now, then? I think the celebration will go fine without us here now, don't you?" she asked teasingly.</p><p>As one, the entire group began to move again, heading back to the waiting police wagon that had brought them all over. Damn mayor couldn't skimp for a limo, apparently. As they walked, Daizo found himself beside a proudly smiling Saotome. The pigtailed youth turned to face him.</p><p>"Ya know, I think this police thing might actually work out... Of course, I do have one condition concerning the Teen Titans..."</p><p>The Commander just waved off the concern. "We'll worry about details later, now it's time to relax, preferably at a place where there aren't ten thousand people screaming their hearts out."</p><p>Ranma nodded, before stepping up into the back of the van. Daizo was just about to join him... when he stopped for a moment, turning back to the massive stage behind them. You know, now that he thought about it...</p><p>All that cheering really <em>did </em>feel kind of nice...</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Genma smiled with pride as he watched his only son go through an agonizingly slow, yet beautifully perfect kata in the darkened interior of the dojo. The sun had long since set and the lights were off, leaving the boy to practice in near complete darkness... but the blackness didn't hinder his son in the slightest! How proud the boy made him, practicing so diligently, even after all the other children had long since gone to bed for the night.</p><p>All the Tendo girls had been exhausted after the long day and the emotional departure of the two young storm gods and had gone to sleep relatively early. The Kumon boy had lasted a little longer, sparring some with Ranma, but he'd quickly lost interest as well, possibly still bothered by his injuries. But here, now, his son, his Ranma, continued to train, continued to better himself. Even though his boy had fought longer and harder than any of the others, had very nearly defeated the demon with his bare hands, he still had the energy and drive to keep going.</p><p>Genma had never been prouder.</p><p>Silently, he turned to the man at his side, to his lifelong friend, and nodded once. Soun nodded back, a proud, yet serious expression on his face. As one, they pushed off from the wall and approached the pigtailed prodigy just as his kata was ending. As soon as the boy finished, the serene look that had been painted onto his features dissolved away, revealing the cocky and carefree smirk that was so very much at home on his son's face.</p><p>"You two are up pretty late, aren't ya? And still sober, no less. Are you guys sure yer alright?" asked Ranma jokingly.</p><p>Ranma's laughing manner died away as he noticed the serious looks on his and Soun's faces.</p><p>"We need to speak to you, boy," Genma stated solemnly.</p><p>Soun nodded, running his fingers down the length of his chin. "Indeed, Ranma. It is a matter of grave importance, and it concerns you and Akane directly."</p><p>The boy shrugged easily. "So, what is it? If it's another crazy match-up scheme, then forget it. I ain't in no mood for that kinda junk right now, old man."</p><p>Genma took a half step back, allowing Soun to take the spotlight. The longhaired martial artist simply shook his head, before replying.</p><p>"No, Ranma, nothing like that. There is... no easy way to work up to it, so I'll simply come out and say it. Ranma... I intend to name Natsume and Kurumi as the heirs to the Tendo Dojo."</p><p>"<em>Wha</em>-<em>mph</em>!"</p><p>The bespectacled martial artist quickly clamped his hand over the boy's mouth to silence his startled outburst. He held it there for a moment, until the look in his son's eyes told him that he was done trying to wake the entire household. A heated look still lingered in Ranma's eyes, which was directed solely at the Tendo patriarch.</p><p>"What the heck are you talking about, Mr. Tendo? What about me an- um, what about Akane? Does that mean you ain't joinin' the schools no more?"</p><p>"No, no, boy. None of that is changing. The schools shall still be combined, and you and Akane will still have an inheritance. However, I believe that Natsume and Kurumi are both disciplined and talented enough that the Tendo Dojo would surely flourish beneath their expert teaching," Soun explained briefly.</p><p>Ranma cocked an eyebrow, an expression that Genma had never really seen his son use before his trip to the United States... it didn't seem very manly the way his boy did it. "Hmph, so what's the catch then. If you two are still so set on me marryin' Akane, then where are we supposed to teach?"</p><p>Genma smiled broadly and clapped a hearty hand against his son's shoulder. Not quite speaking loud enough to wake the whole house, he exuberantly exclaimed, "Ha! Why, you'll be inheriting the <em>Saotome </em>Dojo, boy."</p><p>His excited declaration was met with an equally deadpan stare. "Pop, there ain't no Saotome Dojo."</p><p>He waved off the boy's concerns, still smiling widely. "Don't be silly, boy. Of course, there isn't a Saotome Dojo... <em>yet</em>! That's why we must build one. At least in this case, your dogged stubbornness helps us, since it means we likely have some time to design and build a truly proper dojo."</p><p>"Are you crazy, old man? Where the heck are ya gonna get the money to do something like that? I don't think sweeping up after Dr. Tofu is gonna pay for something like that," barked the boy incredulously.</p><p>It was Tendo's turn to step in, smiling widely now as they unveiled their plot. "Well, that is true. However, your father was recently offered a new and much more prestigious job. Perhaps you remember the phone ringing just as you left for the ceremony earlier today?"</p><p>Ranma nodded uncertainly, even as Genma's chest swelled with pride.</p><p>"That phone call was from the Chief of Police. On behalf of the formation of the new Super-Normal Defense Force, he asked Saotome and myself to become combat instructors for the new task force. Since you and your friends would either be in school, or on duty, they wanted people that could provide training in a full-time capacity. Unfortunately, my current obligations didn't allow me to take the offer, but Saotome was more than eager to."</p><p>The Elder Saotome nodded, beaming widely. "Indeed, boy. You're looking at the official martial arts instructor for the Super-Normal Defense Force. Between our three incomes, we'll be able to put up a dojo in no time!"</p><p>That brought the boy up short. "Huh?... <em>Three</em> incomes? What the heck are ya talking about? Is Mr. Tendo gonna help out too?"</p><p>Soun shook his head in amusement. "No, Son. He was referring to his income as an instructor, your income as an officer... and the funds which Nabiki has been secretly sending to you to help provide for our family," he explained with a knowing smirk.</p><p>Immediately, Ranma started to sweat nervously, everything about the boy's body language screamed that he was about to start lying through his teeth. "W-w-what? I – I don't know what yer talking about, Mr. Tendo... Heh... I mean, what makes you think I've been talkin' to Nabiki, and why the heck would she be sendin' me money?"</p><p>Both much more experienced men shook their heads at the pathetic sight of Ranma nervously rubbing his hand through the hair at the back of his head while chuckling nervously. Soun clucked his tongue several times.</p><p>"Please, Ranma, give us some credit. I know that my daughters' disappearance has weighed heavily on me lately, and that, perhaps, I have been neglecting my responsibilities as the head of this house, but my mind has not completely abandoned me. Even though Nabiki had selflessly taken on all the responsibility of maintaining the house's finances and the paying of the bills, it was still my bank account that the money came from to pay those bills.</p><p>"It took me some time, but did you think that I wouldn't notice that no money has been leaving my account, and yet the lights are still on and the water is still running? Since no one else in this house brings in nearly enough to pay for all those utilities without me, it was obvious that the money was coming from somewhere else."</p><p>Soun broke off suddenly, using his sleeve to dash tears which threatened to form in his eyes.</p><p>"To think, even though my beloved Nabiki has abandoned her family to a life of crime, that she still endeavors to meet her responsibilities. It fills my heart with great happiness to know that even though she has left us in body, she is still with us here in spirit."</p><p>Ranma rolled his eyes, muttering very quietly to himself. "Sheesh, ain't like she's dead or nuthin'..."</p><p>Genma clapped the boy on the shoulder again, still smiling. "So, as you can see, us 'old men' are still too clever for the likes of you, boy. Maybe someday, far in the future, you'll gain even a fraction of our accumulated wisdom, Ha!"</p><p>"Yeah, just can't <em>wait</em> for <em>that </em>to happen," the boy muttered darkly. Ranma then raised his hands into the air, as if waving off the entire discussion. "Like I care, Old Man. None of this junk is my concern since I <em>ain't </em>marryin' the Tomboy anyway. Only thing that <em>I </em>know, is that I sure as heck ain't gonna be the one that tells Akane about this <em>plan </em>of yours. In fact, let me know when you're gonna, so I can make sure I'm visitin Ryouga over in America that week."</p><p>The expression of stark panic that descended on Soun's face at the boy's declaration was quite a sight to see, but Genma knew that it would all work out in the end. After all, it was obvious that his boy was going to end up marrying the girl. All the boy's other fiancées had vanished, and the Ranma didn't even talk to any other girl in Japan. If Soun and Genma stayed the course, their plan would succeed by default!</p><p>"Yes, yes, boy, you keep telling yourself that." Genma then laid a companionable arm over the shoulder of his distressed friend and began to turn them back towards the dojo door. "Well, we'll let you get back to your training. You make your father proud with this tenacious dedication to the art!"</p><p>Ranma made a quick double-take.</p><p>"Huh? Training?" Ranma mused openly. "What're ya talkin' bout? I'm just killin time."</p><p>The pigtailed martial artist pulled a small, amazingly thin cell phone out of his pocket without warning. The boy looked at the LCD screen on the small device before nodding silently to himself. Ranma then looked up at them, smirking arrogantly. "In fact, it's about that time right now. Sorry, Pops, but I gotta go. I'm expectin a call from someone actually <em>worth</em> talkin' too, heh."</p><p>With that, the widely smiling boy strutted proudly out of the dojo...</p><p>Leaving a very confused pair of men staring after him.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"-nd <em>then</em>, after I've done <em>that</em>, I'm gonna <em>stomp </em>on 'em!"</p><p>Ranma smiled widely as the miniature face of Raven winced harshly at his rather vivid description.</p><p>"Don't you think that's just a little excessive? I mean, it's not even like you were the one to open the gift... That, and I doubt you could be <em>that </em>cruel to your best friend, or Beast Boy and Cyborg for that matter," she replied with a knowing smile on her inviting lips.</p><p>He rolled his eyes and grumbled in annoyance. "Sheesh, Rae, how many times do I gotta tell ya? Me an Ryouga ain't best friends, we ain't even friends. We're <em>rivals</em>! That means we get to beat the tar outta each other whenever we feel like it."</p><p>Raven's eyes twinkled mischievously as she gazed back at him via the communicator. In a familiar fashion, the corner of the young woman's mouth quirked up into an annoying smirk. "You just keep telling yourself that, Ranma. And, please, for the last time: Don't Call Me <em>Rae</em>."</p><p>"Heh, yer on the other side of the planet, <em>Rae</em>, whatcha gonna do about it?" he taunted teasingly.</p><p>The young hero's eyes narrowed, "I could hang up on you."</p><p>A bark of laughter escaped from his throat and Ranma stared around frantically, expecting a horde of angry fiancées to descend on him any second. When it became apparent that his minor outburst hadn't awoken the rest of the house, he returned his attention back to the communicator.</p><p>"Yeah, right, Rae. You know ya love talkin' to me, you ain't gonna hang up."</p><p>A stubborn expression formed on the violet haired girl's tiny face for a moment, as if she were contemplating doing just that... but then it dissolved into a resigned smile.</p><p>"No, no I suppose I '<em>ain't</em>' going to hang up on you. Though, I do wish you would work on your English, your pronunciation is just atrocious."</p><p>"Hey!" he barked indignantly. "I talk English just as good as I talk Japanese after all that crammin' that Cologne forced us ta do. Not ta mention all the classes and stuff that me an' 'Kane have been takin' since we got back!"</p><p>For some reason, his virtual companion groaned weakly. She rubbed her tiny temples for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing. "<em>Anyway</em>... don't you think that kind of violence is a bit much for a silly prank?"</p><p>Ranma replied with the flattest stare that he could possibly produce. "Raven, those three <em>jerks </em>got me a freakin' <em>mechanical kitten</em>! I swear, those guys are <em>monsters</em>! What I said I was gonna do would just be for starters."</p><p>Raven just stared back, a little on the nonplussed side, so he soldiered forward.</p><p>"Heh, still, I totally called it when you guys sent all that stuff to us. As soon as I heard it was from the three stooges over there, I knew it was gonna be something gadgety, something fuzzy, or something that was gonna hurt me. I <em>still </em>feel terrible for getting Kurumi to open it for me, God only knows how freaked out she musta been when that mechanical abomination jumped out at her!" he exclaimed.</p><p>Again, Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ranma, I'm sure she was positively <em>traumatized</em> by the harmless T-Kitten 2000."</p><p>Hmm, if it weren't for the fact that the young woman's words were so completely factual, Ranma would have sworn she was being sarcastic. He couldn't imagine the horror of opening a package to find one of... one of <em>t-t-those</em> inside...</p><p>He shook his entire body to rid himself of the horrid mental image.</p><p>"Well, I guess I'll have to let Cyborg off the hook. Hey, when did you say he was comin' over again?" he asked, glad for a change in topic.</p><p>Raven tapped a delicate finger to her bottom lip for a moment, trying to recall it herself. "Oh, yes. He said it would take him at least three days to get together all the equipment to install a suitable security and defense system in the Tendo Household. He told me to assure you that it would be... ugh, that it would be 'so totally technologically tremendous, that it would completely blow your mind'..."</p><p>The pigtailed boy sniggered at her feeble imitation of her cybernetic friend. "No doubt, no doubt. Course, I ain't up on that technology stuff, so it's not like it'd take much. Still, it's awesome of you guys to help me out like this again. I mean, I ain't got <em>no </em>chance of keepin' my identity secret after that last fight."</p><p>And, not that he would tell even Raven, though she was pretty much the only person he trusted to talk about anything to, Nabiki had already left a quick message earlier in the night saying that Gizmo was going to covertly drop some countermeasures around his mother's house as well, on the off chance that someone found out about her after they'd tampered with her records. He had to admit, Nabiki was at least as key to his crime fighting success as the Titans were, it was the least he could do to keep that fact on the down low for the mercenary woman.</p><p>Raven waved off his gratitude with a graceful wave of her hand. "Again, it's the least we can do. We are indirectly responsible for your current problems, so helping you protect your family is only common sense. I'd like to say that hopefully he won't go overboard... but this is Cyborg that we're talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if your dojo had laser cannons popping out of its walls by the end of the week."</p><p>Hmmmmm... <em>that </em>was an interesting though. Having the dojo filled with lasers and deathtraps, it'd be like his very own personal... um, personal room of dangers! If he could get Cyborg to set that up for him, man, he'd be back on top in no time! Of course, the idea of a house full of security measures programmed to protect him also brought another errant thought to mind.</p><p>"Heh, I'm probably gonna need all those security measures over the next few weeks. Akane's been hounding me all night, tryin to get me to fess up to sayin that I loved her durin' that big fight. She can be pretty cute when she tries, but trust me, Rae, if she doesn't get her way, she's gonna start goin on the warpath, you can bet on that," he explained morosely.</p><p>Still, an Akane on the warpath was something he could deal with. An Akane that was aware of his real feelings... that was an unknown. He had no real idea if she felt the same way, if she would return his feelings. And that didn't even count the hell that their fathers would cause if they caught wind of it... No, it was just easier this way.</p><p>His eyes traveled back down to gaze at the exotic looking beauty speaking to him from half a world away. The impish smile on her lips, even more intriguing for its rarity, made him smile a bit himself, despite the trouble he was literally dumping into his own lap.</p><p>"Does that mean that you <em>did</em> say that you loved her during the fight?" asked the violet eyed lady.</p><p>"...Um, well, it's complicated, ya know? It was a real hectic fight, and a whole lotta stuff was goin on. What with the demon and Goku and all that other stuff, really, what I may or may not have said durin' all that craziness ain't really here nor there... is it?" he asked/stated tenuously.</p><p>For a moment, it looked like Raven was going to go in for the kill after his weak deflection, but then her expression softened, and she obviously took pity on him. "I'll <em>grudgingly </em>admit that it was a very pitched battle. I suppose that if you're not ready to admit certain things to certain people, who am I to question? I just want you to know that I'm very proud of you. You handled the entire situation, from start to finish, like a true Titan. I honestly don't know if even <em>I </em>could have done as well, despite the fact that I'm <em>soo</em> much more powerful than you."</p><p>He knew she was just baiting him, since she <em>knew </em>how much he hated it when she mentioned that fact, but, as usual, he tore into the bait like a shark. "Yeah, right. Why don't you just come over with Cyborg and we can put that little delusion of yours to rest, but good."</p><p>"I'd love to. Unfortunately, the T-Ship is going to be filled to capacity with equipment, so I'll have to pass." Raven's cocky smirk (which Starfire told him was almost unheard of before he dropped by) dissolved into a softer, warming smile. "Still, whether you admit it or not... Akane is lucky to have someone as courageous as you."</p><p>"Heh, heh, yeah, we'll see if she thinks that over the next week, or whether she punts me over to America first."</p><p>Raven giggled, though it was quick and quiet. She then shook her head, her silky hair swaying alluringly from side to side. "You know, Ranma, no matter how many times we speak, I just can't figure you out. You have the woman of your dreams sleeping in the very next room, the life of whom you've just saved this very day. I'm no expert on these things, but in all the novels I've read, damsels recently delivered from distress tend to be extremely grateful... and yet here you are, whiling away the night speaking to some dreary girl half a world away... why is that?"</p><p>That brought the pigtailed boy up short. It was such a simple question, but his mind drew a complete blank when he tried to answer it. Really, he'd 'delivered Akane from distress' plenty of times, and she'd never seemed extremely grateful before. Maybe Raven just read trashy romance novels? Still... even before everyone else had gone to sleep, he'd already been thinking about, no, looking forward to Raven's call. It hadn't even occurred to him to do anything <em>but </em>spend the wee hours of the morning speaking to the girl.</p><p>A vaguely confused and uncharacteristically serious expression settled on his features as he looked back at the violet-eyed beauty.</p><p>"I... I really don't know..."</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A vaguely confused and uncharacteristically serious expression settled on the pigtailed boy's features as he looked down at the small, circular device in his hand. Several long moments passed, before the boy shook his head, as if dismissing some errant thought. Then, without missing a beat, the young martial artist began talking animatedly to the person on the other end of the communication, smiling and gesticulating energetically...</p><p>A line of static rolled down the screen, causing the image to flicker for a moment.</p><p>The scene presented on the monitor then switched to a different scene, this one of the pigtailed warrior's earlier battle with the demon, Brushogun.</p><p>The figure shifted his attention away from that monitor, scanning across the massive bank of screens that were scattered across the arching wall before him. Video feeds from around the world were currently being displayed for him. He gazed at each monitor in turn, trying to cull as much information about each of the people as he could. Their current locations, their current endeavors, their personalities, dispositions, and capabilities...</p><p>In another monitor, a young man, looking similar to the Saotome boy save for a checkered bandanna, knelt before an achingly familiar statue. A look of intense concentration was carved into the boy's features, much like the stone that he studied so furiously.</p><p>Another screen displayed a lithe, female figure leaping gracefully from one rooftop to the next. Her movements were a poetry of motion as she flowed forward with careless abandon. Though it meant less than nothing to him, another figure followed her, struggling desperately to match her effortless pace while wearing a sleek, though obviously cumbersome pack on his back.</p><p>The screen next to that one showed almost a complete reversal of the last scene. In this one, it was the lithe, young female that was following the male figure. This male also carried a sack, though this one was by no means sleek, literally overflowing with... questionable content. The pink haired girl was doing her best to keep pace with the ancient master... and stay one step ahead of the mob of women that chased after them.</p><p>Several monitors below that one, a young woman wearing her brunette hair in a short, yet stylish cut was standing in front of a table, speaking to a group of people that were off screen. The Japanese girl was wearing a dark green bodysuit and appeared to be explaining a large diagram to the people off screen.</p><p>Another video feed revealed an aerial view of a vast forest. Though it was hard to distinguish through the dense canopy, the camera was clearly following the progress of a lone male. From this distance, it was impossible to make out any fine detail, only one thing made itself obvious... the strangely shimmering vest they young man wore.</p><p>Yet another monitor displayed an underwater scene. This one, too, was from an obvious distance, but the details were much easier to make out. It showed a young man, wearing a spandex uniform of blue and black. The youth's flowing black hair floated in the current behind the young man, almost like a living entity.</p><p>The final screen that drew the figure's attention didn't present anyone at all. It was a very pleasant presentation of some foreign countryside. The only notable landmark was a lone, towering mountain far in the distance...</p><p>The figure let out a long, tired sigh. His exhaled breath filtered through the small slits of his mask, or at least it should have... He found that he was having trouble breathing lately...</p><p>He dismissed the unproductive thought. Again, he began to scan the vast bank of screens. Studying, analyzing... searching for what he needed. There was so very much that he needed to do, so very many things that were crucial to his plans. And that didn't include those very certain tasks that he had to complete for... others, but he still had time before those came to pass. Unfortunately, his time was quickly running out.</p><p>The figure let out another weary, empty sigh.</p><p>"Promises to keep... promises to keep..."</p><p>"And miles to go, before I sleep..."</p>
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